[Fsf-friends] Re: Vista DRM Cracked on Launch Day

പ്രവീണ്‍‌|Praveen എ|A pravi.a@[EMAIL-PROTECTED]
Thu Feb 1 16:45:16 IST 2007


2007/2/1, Vihan Pandey <vihanpandey at gmail.com>:
> > I'm not convinced that putting Winduhs down is the right way to go
> > about promoting freedom and/or free software.  What does the list
> > think?

Embedding DRM into Vista is a defect by design and I think we need to
educate users about the bad effects in vista.

Hacker = concerned & technology-aware
Hackers have the responsibility to learn, evaluate and eventually report
https://foss.in/2006/cfp/slides/2006-11-26-creative_chaos-tim_pritlove-foss.in.pdf

It is our responsibility to evaluate Windows Vista and report to the
public about the malicious features and make them aware of it.

> Instead of harping on Winduhs' weaknesses, maybe we should be talking
> > about how it takes freedom away and entraps users.

Hackers have a social responsibility to evaluate technology and report.

> Another angle on the same is that reverse engineering windoze is against the
> law
Reverse engineering is legal

http://www.chillingeffects.org/reverse/faq.cgi#QID195 (US law)

And if I remember correctly Sunil Abraham said Reverse engineering is
legal as per Indian Copyright law in his foss.in talk
http://foss.in/2005/schedules/talkdetails.php?talkcode=G1530043

(as one has signed the EULA during the install) and could probably land
> the person concerned up in jail. Should we be breaking the law even if it is
> for exposing cracks in an already broken system?

http://www.chillingeffects.org/reverse/faq.cgi#QID208 It depends

 Probably not, to quote RMS
> on the same ``breaking an agreement even for preventing a bad thing is NOT
> good".
>
"If the court determines that the contract provisions contain an
"extra element" that require analysis of the contract to be preempted
by copyright law, the courts generally proceed to an analysis of the
possible infringement or exemption under fair use of the activities of
the reverse engineer."

http://www.chillingeffects.org/reverse/faq.cgi#QID208

> Anyway there are enough high priority GNU and other Free Software projects
> out there.
Everyone has their own priorities, as long as it is ethical and
respecting the users freedom we shouldn't have anything against it.

Cheers
Praveen
-- 
Join The DRM Elimination Crew Now!
http://fci.wikia.com/wiki/Anti-DRM-Campaign



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