'Commercial Partners'

[Andy Green]

Eric S. Raymond wrote:
> Andy Green <andy at warmcat.com>:
>>> Yes, I am.  It's a business decision. Do they want significant desktop 
>>> market share?  If so, they have to do this thing.
>> $THIS_THING is a moving target. 
> 
> Yes. it certainly is.  In a few years, once we solve this problem, I
> expect to be back here trying to kick certain people out of their
> dogmatic slumbers with respect to the *next* market-share blocker.

To be fair, you seem to want to replace the existing "Free and safe" 
dogma with "do whatever it takes not to look like a useless wanker" 
dogma.  The existing one seems to have better metrics for assessing 
compliance, less danger and greater longer-term stability.

>>                                 Shortly movie download stores with 
>> encrypted HDTV files that require a signed Windows driver stack backed 
>> by TPM will set the bar for you if you define what is needed as 
>> "whatever Windows can do".
> 
> No, I define it as "what nontechnical users will consider us useless
> wankers if we don't do".  

They will want their encrypted Blu-ray and HD-DVD.  They already want 
their DVD now and that has to come by a dangerous contraband.

> Which doesn't include TPM, because users haven't accepted that devil's
> bargain yet.  If the history of DivX and other similar efforts is a
> guide, they won't.

DivX (sans ;-) ) added nothing over a regular DVD.  The wave of HD media 
will I believe see regular Joes accepting serious compromises to have 
it, because it is viscerally compelling.

> In truth, I think we can get away with not supporting WMA.  But no MP3
> is a complete laugh-at-those-idiots showstopper.  

MP3 decode and Flash look like they are safely (ie, no patent attack 
invited) possible with an end-user download.  On WMA, a lot of low-cost 
music stores are selling only encrypted WMA, eg

http://www.tescodownloads.com/

''You will need
Windows 98 Second Edition or above

Windows Media Player 9 or above

If using a digital music player, one that supports Windows Media files 
with Digital Rights Management encryption (DRM 9 or above)

Note
This service is not compatible with Apple iPod''

so lacking WMA is a dealbreaker for such folks.

> QuickTime is somewhere in the middle.

For people who got to trailers.apple.com Quicktime is a dealbreaker, not 
in the middle.

This just illustrates how fuzzy it is to define the distro on a "wanker 
perception" scale rather than objective criteria.  Just like real life, 
someone somewhere will always think you are a useless wanker.  Better to 
live your life according to your own principles than attempt to please 
everybody and end up miserable.

FWIW Linux is creeping in at the bottom end despite its supposed lacks. 
  This is a relatively new phenomena:

http://www.ebuyer.com/customer/products/index.html?action=c2hvd19wcm9kdWN0X292ZXJ2aWV3&product_uid=89079

-Andy
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