I still disagree. Not all digital content will move to the newer platforms. DVDs are regionally encoded, but you know what: If you do not like that you are perfectly free to go with VHS tapes. And the same goes for current generation software. If you don't like Vista and its approach, and you do not like DRM content providers, just go with the raw Internet. Nothing wrong with that. You won't get any on-demand TV which is now starting to be a reality, but that's your choice.

Or to give you an example about how the market self regulates: Sony once decided that on their media, there was to be no porn. They had the superior technology, but you know what: VHS won, and this was a big part of the reason. They should have managed digital rights differently.

And what we are seeing right now in this thread is the same thing. You do not like the choice publishers make (and Microsoft enables them to make) to define how they want to sell their content, so you do not want to upgrade to Vista. And that's fine. You just became part of these very same free market forces.

Personally, I love Vista. And I love DRM. It is a key technolgoy for us (for instance) to make CoDe Magazine available less expensive, and in countries that we couldn't make available before, simply because it was only stolen...

Markus



>OK, the car was not the best example as I told. But going along with it:
>What if you change the oil pump and you discover you cannot ride your car until you phone Ford to get a new activation code (of course that -10 celsius degress morning you don't have an operating Internet connenction)?
>What if the car suddenly stops working in the middle of the road and you need another 30 minute call to get another activation-whatever-code? Don't we have enough with engine failures?
>What if you don't have a choice, if all car manufacturers adopt this schema, and the government wash it's hands? And don't tell me I could buy a Yugo, please.
>
>The DRM thing is not being ruled by the free market workings. If all digital content goes DRM you have no choice.
>
>I'm not praying aginst DRM, I'm praying against DRM implementations, which in most of the cases do not work in practice.
>
>>
>>Well, yes, I can, actually. If a manufacturer had an awesome car that I was interested in and it was made clear to me that I can only drive the car in certain places, then I would find that an acceptable setup. If the car manufacturer made it clear that that's what the deal is, then I have no problem with that. After all, why wouldn't they be able to define what and how they want to sell something? It is completely within their right to do so.
>>
>>Would I buy that car? No, probably not. And a lot of people would probably give the same answer. And if there aren't too many people buying a car with that sort of rules, then the manufacturer would change. That's the beauty of the free market.
>>
>>Of course, there are also huge advantages if a manufacturer were actually able to apply these sorts of rules. For instance, I might be able to define that only I, my wife, and a few of my friends can drive the car. For everyone else, the car simply would not start. Heck, I wouldn't even need a key anymore! And maybe I do want to define that the car only drives at 10 miles an hour when my kids (if I had any :-) ) decided to drive outside the city limits.
>>
>>In short: With this sort of technology, there is huge potential for both good and bad things to happen. And I simply believe that the market will reject the bad aspects. It will work itself out.
>>
>>BTW: I have never owned a car where one could do a lot of repairs beyond a few very simple things. That's just what modern cars are like, it seems...
>>
>>Markus