[ILUG] Novell A Linux Leader? GPL 3 and

[Colm MacCarthaigh]

On Tue, Feb 07, 2006 at 10:47:11AM +0000, kevin lyda wrote:
> On Tue, Feb 07, 2006 at 10:22:34AM +0000, Colm MacCarthaigh wrote:
> > If all desktop computer hardware contains DRM, then by implication there
> > would be zero market for DRM-free hardware, so there would be no problem
> > - since noone would care.
> 
> yes, because The Market will provide.  all hail The Market.  just like
> popes, The Market is infalliable.

Of course it will. There are so many commercial contexts in which
DRM-free hardware would be a neccessity, and there such an abundance of
cheaply-licensable DRM-free chipsets, with so many players already that
the likelyhood of 100% DRM market penetration is zero.

The biggest threat is really legislative, where laws might come in
requiring the use of such hardware. But since a law could equally come
in neutering the GPL v3 clause by demanding that keys be kept secret,
there's not much in it. And regardless, either scenario is ridiculously
unlikely due to commercial concerns.

-- 
Colm MacCárthaigh                        Public Key: colm+pgp at stdlib.net