[EMAIL PROTECTED] writes: > I really think that there's actually a major threat for the free > software, i'm talking about TCPA/Palladium.
We're quickly getting off topic here, but I'm not so worried about the technological side of TCPA/Palladium. I think computers without that sort of control will be available for the foreseeable future (like region free DVD-players exist, at least in Sweden you can buy them in ordinary 100%-mainstream shops). You might not be able to run M$ W*rd on a TCPA-free computer, but I wouldn't do that anyway. What worries me more is the laws backing it up (the DMCA, and the corresponding laws being introduced in Europe. And then the software patents disaster. Etc. It's really depressing). I guess mplayer is illegal in the US (as it ships with the decss code), and if/when DMCA-like laws are enforced in Europe things aren't looking good. If you want, you can think of Palladium as a way to get the worst out of the DMCA, just as patented features in M$ file formats (w*ndows media, perhaps the next version of the w*rd format) are designed to get the worst out of the patent system. The combination of technology and law is scary. /Niels
