A couple of years ago, Disney, IBM, Intel, Microsoft, Panasonic, Sony, Toshiba, and Warner Bros. got together to promote the be-all and end-all of copy-protection standards for high-definition video content. Guess what? It's been hacked. The problem is digital rights management. These companies should instead create a fair universal licensing plan that lets people use media without being forced to become felons.
informationweek.com/1120/blog_hddrm.htm

A-freakin-men. It's simple, and the big companies need to learn this. All they do is impede the legal consumer, and they'll never, ever stop the malicious user. The more you impede and frustrate your actual consumer base, the more likely they are to stop spending money. The illegal user base that doesn't want to pay for something won't, no matter what you do. --Chris

So what if some hacker can break it? The point is that Joe Average won't think it's cool and easy to copy and give copies to all his friends. No scheme will be unbreakable forever. Doesn't mean it isn't useful. No house is burglar-proof, either. Doesn't mean you don't take precautions and lock your door, maybe add a deadbolt. Impeding and frustrating the consumer? Is this what disks that automatically play when you insert them do? I haven't heard of DRM [digital rights management] frustrating anyone. I get movies, I play them. --End User

When will companies understand that, by purchasing expensive copy-protection systems, they're being lured into a fraudulent scheme? Since we have general-purpose systems, copy protection is theoretically impossible. In order to allow legitimate users to access the product, you must provide the content, an implementation of the algorithm, and the key. So you're also providing it for others. It's intrinsically insecure, no matter how obscurely you implement the decryption process. It's only a matter of time until someone finds his/her way through. --Toni

Hey, here's an idea: How about if the big entertainment companies stop stepping on the rights of the lawful owners to make backup copies of CDs and DVDs (since CDs and DVDs do scratch and become useless). Instead, why not concentrate on making the content less expensive, and therefore make it so that anyone can afford to maintain an entertainment library without breaking the law. If you sell a movie for $10, the incentive to copy the DVD will disappear. In addition, you will sell more movies and music and make more money. --Ed

ARE YOU A 'USER'?

Readers sound off about the user groups they belong to and the impact they've had on the technology they use. A key issue: Are user groups independent enough from the vendors whose products they address to provide an objective view of the technology?
informationweek.com/1120/blog_user.htm

I've been a longtime member of the Independent Oracle Users Group and now serve as its president. For influence with the vendor, it's better to be part of a user group instead of being on your own island. Collectively, we can influence Oracle through advocacy and enhancements, participation in beta programs, meetings with product managers, and more. Oracle has definitely improved its customer focus over the years. Charles Phillips, its president, and the rest of top management truly care about customer care and honest feedback from the community. Oracle works with IOUG on this two-way communication, along with providing resources such as access to key decision-making managers. We provide Oracle with honest feedback from broad surveys and personal focus groups and from participation in beta programs, special interest groups, enhancement request priorities, and town-hall-type forums. Our ultimate strength is our independence. We work well with Oracle, but we're a truly independent, user-driven association. --Ari Kaplan

I'm a part of a local Oracle user group. I find the friendships more useful than the content in most cases, but those friendships have saved me and my company a ton of money from time to time. --Robert F

The International DB2 Users Group has had a most positive effect on myself, my employer(s), and my employees. Education and networking with fellow professionals are important parts of one's career, and IDUG has always met our needs. Its emphasis on user presentations, case studies, and educational seminars provides us with a real-world look at how others are dealing with problems and helps keep us from experiencing the pain of those problems ourselves. You just can't get that kind of experience in any other forum. --Lockwood Lyon

I've been a member of a couple of local regional user groups for DB2 over the years and have always found sessions that were beneficial. I've also attended a couple of International DB2 Users Group events and found the training useful. As the DBA for my organization, I have always pressed for our development staff to attend events. We once sent several developers to a low-cost daylong seminar. Afterward, two of the developers came back to the office and made changes to a couple of programs, and the savings covered the cost of the day's event and quite a bit more. These events are some of the best/cheapest training we can get for our staff. --Dave Nance