[ltp] FYI -- New ThinkPad T22 model for Linux includes DVD movie playback

[Vivek Dasmohapatra]

On Mon, 16 Apr 2001, Keith Frechette wrote:

> To implement legal Linux DVD movie playback support on a ThinkPad laptop 
> that includes an "S-Video out" port, we had to overcome some very 
> *interesting* hurdles. (While I can say "interesting" now, several months 
> ago I would have chosen a different word. :-)) The obvious requirement 
> that we had was to take adequate measures to protect the copyrights 
> associated with DVD movie titles. For example, enabling the user to 
> transfer DVD movies to other media (video tape, for example) via the 
> S-Video port would likely have triggered a flood of lawsuits. (Although 
> there may have been some happy Linux users!)

I have mixed feelings about this. While it's great that you got this
rolled out, and I'm sure that lot's of TP owners [like myself] appreciate
this, and all the other fine work by IBM on Linux support, I have somewhat
mixed feelings about running software that conforms to the [IMO]
fundamentally borked and rather orwellian ideas about copyright
'protection' espoused by the organisations behind CSS.

Bear in mind that I'm not having a go at you: I understand why IBM has to
bow to the whims of the 'CSS cabal', and why you can't actually release
software that hasn't been crippled in this way - I just have trouble
considering the widespread adoption of crippleware, and the willingness of
people to assume the position, as progress.

Oh well. Rant over. I guess I just had to get that off my chest. Feel free
to send this to /dev/null, or tell me I'm stupid and wrong, or whatever.

One question: Does this software respect zoning? What happens to those of
us outside zone 1 [or whichever zone the US is in]? 

-- 
"I don't suffer from insanity, I enjoy every moment of it" - Anon



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