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Episode 34: DRM, Alienware, Oblivion and More!

3/27/2006 3:13:41 PM

Host: Kristin Hatcher
Vista has been delayed! The team discusses what a disaster this could be for Microsoft, as well as Bill Gates speaking on the delays in IE7. Firefox is taking up the slack with their 2.0 alpha release. Also Google has been forced to reveal websites but not personal information for their users.

France has a controversial plan to make sure that all media players sold in France will play all format types, which would directly affect Apple’s iPod sales. DRM stories abound with reports that the MPAA/RIAA saying that it is not ok to break DRM even if it’s a threat to your life. Starforce’s new way of enforcing their DRM is an instant reboot of your computer anytime you engage is “suspicious activity”. Rage! But we are returned to our former jolly state by being able to discuss porn and the revival of the planned XXX domain. Also Dell puts us to shame by buying Alienware in spite of our podcast last week.

In our gaming segment we also get to discuss something that we haven’t been able to talk about before: online crucifixion. The RPG Oblivion has been released and Joel thoroughly enjoys having his butt kicked by it. Lots of PS3 news and other items of interest from GDC. Listen now and let your Geek flag fly!

Important Links:
Wired News: How France Is Saving Civilization
MPAA/RIAA/BSA: No breaking DRM, even if it's killing you (literally!)
Britain to witness first cruxifixion in almost 2,000 years

Download Full Show

24 Comments

Segments : Episode 34: Tech Segment Episode 34: Game Segment

Rick--SA-

3/27/2006 2:27:21 PM

Yhoopie!!,Downloading right now

, Bummer about Vista being delayed,could be for the best though

GeneralVyper

3/27/2006 4:34:18 PM

I've heard about the crucifiction as a punishment, which I think is hilarious, but I think second life's punishment is also quite appropriate:
http://www.joystiq.com/2006/01/04/second-life-miscreants-punished-by-boredom-the-corn-field/

ellianth

3/27/2006 6:59:31 PM

OH THANK THE LORD!! IT'S HERE IT'S HERE!! I waited all week for this. Gonna go listen now.

Chronigan

3/27/2006 8:13:20 PM

Just Wanted to comment on the lack of good programmers. I took computer science all through highschool, took it in college (which taught me the exact same principals) and learned nothing useful. We used a RAD IDE to write DOS programs. This was also after y2k and the market had bust so being a programmer or engineer did not look like a smart decison. I don't even want to go into how hard it is trying to learn to use directx in c++ builder with only the documentation that came with the sdk. If software developers want U.S. programers the best thing they can do is make it easier to learn how to use their tools because their future employees will be learning in the time between school and work. That and angle brackets suck.

Ireney Berezniak

3/27/2006 8:16:16 PM

I will be joining the boycott of StarForce-infected products. I have purchased 2 games in the past that employed this protection and both times I had problems installing and running those games. Ironically, if I wanted to pirate the games, and use one of the utilities that worked around StarForce, I would not have experienced those difficulties! The move to instantly reboot the system if suspicious activity is suspected is a disaster. I can just see scores of legit owners being adversely affected by the system as I had been. This is simply inexcuseable.

Oblivion is truly a great game as far as its scope, content, and technical achievements are concerned. Unfortunately, the inventory interface is horrible. It is impossible to play a spell caster class in Oblivion due to a very inneficient inventory system. 90% of the combat gameplay is spent navigating various inventory screens in search of potions and spells. The existing 8-slot hotkey system is simply inadequate. While the system is sufficient for stealth of fighter classes, playing a spell caster becomes a very cumbersome and discouraging affair.

ib.

tehStealth

3/27/2006 9:38:31 PM

That Firefox "view your last sites thing" is a simple view of the History, Both IE and FF, by pressing Ctrl+H will display this info to you (atleast I know in FF, it goes from Today, Yesterday, and everyday up to a week ago)

xfodder

3/28/2006 9:10:03 AM

another great show this week guys....sucks about vista, i will wait for vista, but my pc is growing a layer of dust, so microsoft better hurry up ! im too busy playing my xbox 360 to really care about my computers anyway

US AUSSIES FINALLY GOT THE 360.....so brad when is gal siv 2 coming out on the 360 ?

BlueDev

3/28/2006 9:48:07 AM

I really enjoyed this week's show. Lots of news, good job covering it all.

I am actually with Brad on the iTunes issue. Maybe it is the little bit of capitalist in me, but I agree that if there is no sort of "proprietary-ness" there is little, if any, incentive to innovate. And while I think purchasing music electronically has come a long way, I think it still has a way to go. Sure, there is DRM involved, but it isn't difficult to get around, just inconvenient.

Likewise, I just don't understand the whole "browser wars" and the excitement over Firefox 2.0 alpha. Whoopee. I wish I knew what people were doing with their browsers that make them such an integral part of their lives. Me? I access the internet. I just must not be a "poweruser" to need more than a browser that works and has tabs and mouse gestures. Everything else is just superfluous.

Oblivion makes me drool a little bit. Okay, a lot. It also makes me cry. I don't even know how long it will be until I have the money to buy a rig that can run it. So instead I try not to think about it.

Again, great show, I am really starting to look forward to these more and more each week. Keep up the good work.

BlueDev

3/28/2006 10:16:03 AM

Oh, one other thing. It would be awesome if you added the PowerUser.tv logo into the shows ID3v2 tags. That way it will sho up in the Album Art part of iTunes and on my iPod. Looks cool!

Nerds of the world unite!

MrJazzMan

3/28/2006 10:23:02 AM

Hello people,

DRM is something, a topic that i really don't know where will go or when it's going to settle and stop but what i really wanna say is that:

I really really really agree with Brad Wordel on the French vs Apple topic. I mean if I was Apple I would forget about French market in a sec. and if any other country in Europe or the States would force Apple to get rid of the DRM, forget it. Because once Apple share the DRM other companies will win years of effort to make Itunes one of the major products of Apple and one of an alternative to MP3 piracy.

And i even agree that even if it's not a 100% fantastic to burn bought songs and then riped them into "free" MP3, is a possible thing. Here i just wanna say that Apple could do a an application that the bought songs, check the DRM on the computer and then if it's the owner it would convert to MP3 free file. This way, the DRM is saved, the sharing of bought files is still protect (no m4p trading, because of the DRM) and the final user could get rid of the protection on the files and used the MP3 free files wherever the user wants. This is by far the best solution, in my opinion of course.

balupton

3/28/2006 12:34:41 PM

just reinforcing what tehStealth said, in firefox click you history or whatever, and then click the view button in your history panel, and 2 of them are 'View Date and Site' 'By Last Visited' so yer...

And i'm an iPod owner, and I don't buy from iTunes because the audio quality is sooo poor 128kbps.

Yer, with morrowind, i started it off, picked my character, started walking, walking, still walking, walked for 2 hours and didn't come across anything, then i found the teleport island in one of the expansions, and then fizz bang dead and start again.
And looking at the screenshots between xbox360 and PC, PC looks amazing;
Heres a pc screenshot http://www.elderscrolls.com/images/art/ob_pc/obliv32B.jpg
http://www.elderscrolls.com/art/obliv_pc_screens_01.htm
http://www.elderscrolls.com/art/obliv_xbox360_screens_01.htm
Oh and I'm buying it Tommorow....

mourningwould

3/28/2006 7:34:44 PM

On France and DRM:
When France comes up with a cutting edge mp3 player that the consumer rallies behind (such as the iPod) and creates an entire online digital media store (iTunes Music Store). Then they can ask others to change. The iPod craze didn't explode until Apple paired it with the iTunes Music Store. Now they have 80% of the digital music market. They didn't break any rules, they were innovative, and it gave them a competitive advantage... that is how a capitalist economy works.

I have an iPod and have only bought 1 thing off of the iTunes music store. I have nothing against it, just don't buy much.

mourningwould

3/28/2006 8:21:25 PM

Just finished listening... probably my favorite episode yet.

Thanks

RAKH1

3/29/2006 4:00:08 AM

Anyone else had problems getting this through itunes? Although subscribed it never came - took two attempts to *force* it to deliver it...weird! R

Cordelia

3/29/2006 5:12:25 PM

Oh, one other thing. It would be awesome if you added the PowerUser.tv logo into the shows ID3v2 tags. That way it will sho up in the Album Art part of iTunes and on my iPod. Looks cool!

BlueDev - I DO add the logo into the tags. I don't know why they aren't showing up.

simpilot

3/29/2006 6:35:57 PM

Mourningwould,

What made this episode your favorite?

mourningwould

3/29/2006 7:16:39 PM

Everyone seemed in a genuine good mood and excited. Lots of good news and things that I am interested in. I think listeners like to know where each of you stands on a topic. I like alot of the industry or social issues (xxx domains, france vs. drm, what is sony doing?).

Do the 'stars' of the show list their emails addresses anywhere on the site? I can't find em'

simpilot

3/29/2006 8:09:26 PM

Well, I'm no star but you're welcome to mine. It's:

simpilot@bellsouth.net

If there's any gaming subject you'd like covered, just let me know.

BlueDev

3/29/2006 8:22:34 PM

BlueDev - I DO add the logo into the tags. I don't know why they aren't showing up.

Odd. Well, perhaps it is a problem on my end. The image for the Under The Skin podcast show up when I play them, but not PowerUser. No worries, sorry to suggest something you are already doing!

xfodder

3/30/2006 6:53:46 AM

i think it is on your end, the logo shows up in my itunes

GH33DA

3/31/2006 2:28:47 PM

Good Luck to the future MMORPGesus!

Kevin8020

4/1/2006 4:12:56 PM

Strange... The logo shows up in my iTunes, but not on my iPod. I think the image is partially corrupt. Notice that if you click the logo in iTunes, as to open it bigger, it is blank.

-Kevin

(Great show by the way)

BlueDev

4/2/2006 10:24:46 AM

Kevin, I noticed the same. I have the logo in iTunes, but it doesn't show up in my iPod.

JediIgor

4/2/2006 12:55:12 PM

I finally got around to listening the podcast, I wanted to feedback on the Apple vs France issue:

Brad, Joel is probably right about Music not being in the same category as Skins. The iPod is a piece of hardware, right? WindowBlinds is a piece of software?

That's not even the important thing:
I could implement a music compression scheme all by myself (just give me a few weeks to learn it), then pipe it all into a generic audio playing unit which everyone knows how to do.

I'd like to see a person who has never done skinning before (but is good at programming regardless) try to implement a program that will run the same skins in the same way. It seems to me like that would take man-years since WindowBlinds has been around for a very long time, and you're still churning out new releases. Having used WindowBlinds a few years ago, I can say for sure its not a simple matter of changing the way Windows looks, but there is a lot of other stuff involved too (widgets, different UIs, etc). You're the Stardock guy, you know about this.

Music, I have an ipod so I can listen to it, aside from playing music my question is how easy it is to update the music (nothing to do with shared DRM formats), which player is most easy to access music on after its been uploaded (again nothing to do with shared DRM), and just the coolness factor.

I'm sure I speak for many people when I say I have not and will never buy a piece of music off iTunes. Yet I still have an ipod. Hardware is supposed to sell because of its superiority, not because of some abstract restrictions put on them.

Seeing as how TG.net has no DRM and SD minimal DRM, I'm sure you know what I'm talking about.

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