More likely because it'd be terrible publicity. What drives Apple usually is their image, and they do anything to protect it (which is why I'm surprised at Steve's e-mail).

I never said how it was done was new. I said it can and has been done.

SSL still exists because it works. It provides content securely from point A to point B. There are DRM systems that work in open source using very similar principles (TrustZone being one example). So it can, in fact, be done. Just most places take the easier route.

Granted, for some things (audio in particular) there will always be a way to get around DRM. Even on the most locked down DRM audio systems, all I have to do is use a headphone-to-headphone cable, plug it into my PC, and hit record. Bingo, I have a copy, no matter how closed or locked down your system is.

The key to DRM is never to make it impossible to break, as everything can be broken eventually. What you want is something that's more hassle than it's worth to break, which depends on the worth of what you're selling and what people constitute to be a hassle. Tough enough that most people will just pay for it, vs trying to break it or deal with it being broken from having disabled the DRM. My point is, you can make it pretty tough while still using opensource code.

@Nath: can you give me keywords for that particular issue? I don't remember reading about it..

@daperl: I don't know man, I can afford my content but I'm also aware of other distribution channels online... if there's zero DRM and it's not a software/content that I absolutely need, I will probably... uh... seek other means before opening my wallet...

@eiffel: Sorry, I guess I should rephrase/expand upon it. Coming from a big company with historically good customer-friendly (in the conventional sense) track record, then you're somewhat guaranteed that you're likely to get an acceptable resolution to issues because they can afford it (as google's case have demonstrated). Now Apple's case is different. They have that good track record AND they also run the biggest content distribution online which nets them positive cashflow (financially sustainable). So, that's a longer 'warranty'.

@LaughingMan: Steve is affected by his own RDF. That's why he's so convincing. He believes every word he says.

SSL is PSK encryption, not DRM.

TrustZone is not open source, it's hardware and denies the the intention of open source software (see Tivoization.)

You cannot and still be open source. DRM only survives so long as the user is locked down. There's a reason the GPLv3 includes anti-Tivoization language.

But there's a big difference between "Here, we've developed this great application - you can buy it for only $5 in the store!" and "Look, I've written this in my past time to share with you for free. Take a look, it's completely free, so feel free to do with it whatever you want. Oh, but if you feel generous, please consider donating!".

A lot of people (me included) don't have a problem with taking something for free that was actually OFFERED for free. Sometimes, when I have some spare money lying around and the application was exceptionally good, I might feel like donating. But I don't feel obliged to do so.

On the other hand, when something was offered for price X, my code of honour would keep me from taking it for free. It was not meant to be taken for free, and it wasn't done in anybody's spare time because he had fun making it or just felt generous to share something with the community - but rather it was made by someone who's depending on the money because that's actually how they make their living.

So I really don't think open source donation-ware is representative for non DRM paid products.


Concerning keywords: Errr... no? It's nothing I read about, it's what I experienced first hand and have heard from (hardcore Apple fan ) friends, too.

Don't know, maybe look up the version it got updated to (I think it was somewhere around this time last year) and then something like "reset" and/or whatever the message is that iTunes returns when you plug in a non-compatible iPhone. Can't remember anymore, I think that was the last times I started iTunes, anyway.

DRM is not just an inconvenience...it is often a violation of your rights. There are plenty of things that you are allowed to do under fair use that you cannot do with something locked down under DRM. Some of the more common things you might want to do are given to you as workarounds (you can always re-download your music from iTunes to a new Apple device so you don't need to make a backup copy) but not everything. For example, is it legal for you to back up a DVD that you buy in case your kids use it for a frisbee? Who can tell? Can I buy a DVD in France and play it on my DVD player in Texas? Not without resetting region codes or hacking. Can you make copies of sections of a book you read through Amazon on your Kindle or iPad for a study group in your school or synagogue? Not easily (perhaps not at all) though that is apparently allowed under copyright law. Can you move your books from a Kindle to a Nook to a future device for reference in the future? Who knows?

My point is, it is not just that they are treating us like criminals with the DRM, it is that they are also restricting our fair use of the music/books/movies/shows that we pay for. We end up either unable to do things we could do with non-DRM'ed technology (like paper books or CDs) or we end up paying for the same content multiple times.

All that said, I am a huge hypocrite because I own an Amazon Kindle which is a pretty solidly locked-down-with-DRM device (and I love the thing). And I bought a whole bunch of crap on CD's in 1988 that I already had on tape or vinyl. (Which also makes me kind of an idiot. And old.)

@Nathraiben: Ok, that was an extreme example, maybe I also just wanted to raise awareness of tomaszd's donation page at the same time

But I think the purchasing decision is based on proper balance of carrot and stick... incentive and pain point (as woody have mentioned in his post above). The 'right' implementation of DRM can provide that stick...

I can't imagine doing online distribution (ie: selling) of your product with ZERO DRM (ie: it's available on a naked http://dadada.com/package_name.zip) because when people are generating the buzz of your creation, they can also hand off the download link in one fell swoop.

Anything more than that can arguably be categorized as DRM already

another thought on DRM, again expressed through the medium of XKCD

I think no DRM is impossible. And as ysss pointed out the moment you add any restriction it counts as DRM. Even requiring a user to enter a code is DRM.

Just like there can't be a society this size with no copyright or patent laws. When societies were small if people screwed over each other. You knew. Now people can screw over each other easily, and in some places where the concept of the individual is extremely promoted then it's a "me, me, me, I don't give a **** about what happens to you".

The point is to pick a DRM system that doesn't **** off the user. And in Nokia's case, if they want to keep the community (unlikely with the way they've been acting) they had better choose a good balance between the two. Not, "you can choose a DRM system with restrictions, or a non-DRM system with no restrictions". If I want that setup I might as well go to Android or even the iPhone if I'm going be fighting the system (OS) constantly.

And I love xkcd comics.

I do not approve of you calling me an idiot and old!

But, really, just shows that there are plenty of reasons for quite a big group of people to be legit customers. Honour, fear of being prosecuted, or simply the need to actually OWN something, heck, for the sake of owning it!

And obviously that group is still big enough to let companies - who sell their products without DRM - emerge with a **** load of money from a two-year-long financial crisis...

Which brings me back to:

Well, it's not much more: You have your account and can download the software from there, so instead of sharing a link you would have to put the software up for download on [add download site/torrent tracker of choice]. But, yep - it works, and that company has a whole lot of faithful customers BECAUSE there's a lot of trust between company and customers.

(Btw, good job - at least with me it would have worked if I had it installed. And it might still work if I ever decide to install it and like it )