Maybe we should be asking for hard drives for Christmas...

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Unicorn
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Joined: Apr 12 1999

This isn't directly related to video editing, but since we get through a vast number of hard drives I thought people might be interested to see it:

http://www.theregister.co.uk/content/2/15620.html

IBM, Intel and others are pushing hard drive manufacturers to incorporate copy-protection systems which would allow software to check whether it was stored at the same place on the same disk as it was when installed; which sounds OK in theory until you realise that this means you'll no longer be able to defragment your disk without reinstalling the software and getting a new authorisation code, you'll no longer be able to upgrade your system disk without reinstalling the software and getting a new authorisation code (and sooner or later you'll get the answer 'Oh, you're still running WhizzyEdit 7.3? Sorry, we don't support that any more, you'll have to upgrade'), you'll no longer be able to use RAID, and you'll no longer be able copy files from one disk to another if you want to make space on one drive.

This has got to be the most absurd idea I've ever heard of, and will cause chaos for the average computer-illiterate user, fortunately it's so bad that even Microsoft is against it, but unfortunately with IBM and Intel pushing it we may well have to start hoarding drives soon, or buying from manufacturers who aren't dumb enough to incorporate it.

Maybe this is something the magazine folks should investigate for an article?

[This message has been edited by Unicorn (edited 23 December 2000).]

P4-3.06/2GB RAM/2500GB IDE/SATA. Avid Media Composer, Liquid Edition, Premiere 6, Lightwave, Vue 6, eyeon Fusion 5. DV and HDV editing/compositing.

nattt
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Joined: Aug 14 2000

This is copy "protection" fascism of the worst order. It infringes all "fair use" copyright law and turns everyone into a criminal before being proven innocent, turning natural justice on it's head. There's a similar and related article on www.slashdot.com about copy protection on HDTV cable in the USA, which will stop you taping broadcasts, even though that is a right in law, under "fair use" ofcourse.

Even as a content creator and programmer myself, I find these ideas abhorant, and could even see the end to free source software like Linux and anything under GNU.

Big Brother is really here, isn't he?

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