I think you're both getting there... fast.

I think it's pretty clear what he's asking for. He wants to know what DRM system exists to protect a common, everyday app one would develop for a Windows based system. Like Office, or a data inventory program, or a mail reader, or a game. Not something that's going to run in a browser, or a media player, or on a Zune. (A Zune? Really? Why are you even talking about Zunes?)

The real answer is that MS does not provide ANY out of the box DRM for installable native applications, which frankly is the point he's making. Windows doesn't have a DRM model setup and in place that prevents you from installing and/or copying apps. If you get the MSI for an app, you can install it. There's no way, built into the system, to prevent someone from getting said MSI file and/or from installing it on a non-authorised device.

There are plenty of cheep 3rd party solutions to do this, and yes, you can develop your own. There are crytpo/security APIs in .NET and lots of other MS provided libraries to help you, but there's nothing fully implemented. This is part of why piracy is rampant when it comes to apps for Microsoft based devices.

So the argument being presented is as such:
If Microsoft doesn't provide DRM on their system (by default), and people still develop for it, then DRM is not a requirement for doing business.

I agree and disagree. It is indeed not required for every circumstance. There are in fact companies making software (for profit) for the N900. They're adding stuff to the OVI store every week, or hosting in their own repositories, using their own DRM system (like JoikuSpot). Plenty of people also make money via "free" software. RedHat is a key example: Develop the software for free, provide support at a cost.

But there are other factors that make DRM important. The smaller your install base, the more incentive you need to provide that the effort will pay off. If you develop an app for Windows, the install base is so huge that even if 80% of the users are "pirates", the 20% that pay are going to probably cover your R&D costs. On a system with under a million installs, that may not be the case.

Both sides are right. You don't need DRM to have good apps. But having DRM may attract more developers on a smaller install base.

Personally, I think the community here is strong enough that if you put out a decent bit of software for a reasonable price, you'll have people buying it up vs pirating it. The built-in DRM that OVI has now is strong enough to make it not worth hacking the system for a $5 app. (Angry Birds and Zen Bound showed this quite well...) DRM is about making it more trouble than it's worth to pirate... I think they've hit the mark at this point, and we'll see a slow trickle of things coming in soon.

In the mean time, the free software that's out there already is really a lot better than what many devices have in their existing for-pay app stores. If your concept of "good apps" == race car games, fart boxes, and playboy strip poker, then no, this is not your device. If your idea of a good app is one that lets you do something useful (like manage your finances, or remotely monitor your home), you'll find what you need here.