02.21.08

Gemini version available ♊︎

Silverlight and Mono = DRM and Software Patents

Posted in DRM, Microsoft, Mono, Novell, Patents at 9:17 pm by Dr. Roy Schestowitz

A post about Microsoft embracing consuming trying to devour FOSS coming shortly

One of Microsoft’s greatest (and very vital) ambitions is to conquer and hold SOA on a short leash, ensuring that Windows maintain a certain advantage in an age of Web-based services. Gates et al. foresaw this threat back in the Netscape era, shortly before they decided to annihilate Netscape and bring back control to the Windows platform over the Web (ActiveX, seriously deficient CSS support, non-compliant Microsoft Office markup/MSHTML, war on Java and so forth). You can still find concrete evidence of this (as E-mails used among court exhibits) in our Comes vs Microsoft section.

“…Silverlight snubs GNU/Linux and it will never be ported to that platform. ”Using Novell’s helps (with Mono and Moonlight), Microsoft is still hoping to tighten its grip on the Web and be able to exclude rivals at will. Already, as a matter of fact and principle, Silverlight snubs GNU/Linux and it will never be ported to that platform. Microsoft is targeting — in a malicious sense of course — both Flash and PDF format (from Adobe/old-age Macromedia) at the same time. It also hopes to introduce Windows DRM as part of its offerings, too. Recall what was said last week about this fight against Adobe and Free software as the motor of the Web.

We have recently given several examples of practical ways in which Microsoft forces people to use Silverlight, or at least ‘punishes’ those who cannot use it (hello, Linux users). Consider the Olympic games and some video sites (mind the mentioning of Yahoo also). Given Novell’s existing 'advertisements' of Windows Vista, it would be almost predictable for them to put some Silverlight in Novell.com sooner or later (“buy SLED or Novell ‘protection’ for Moonlight to view this site almost properly”).

Here is another new report that combines and revisits several elements or patterns we have come across before: acquisitions, Silverlight, software patents.

LiveStation, which Microsoft Research co-developed with Skinkers, includes a client-based player that runs on top of Silverlight, Microsoft’s rich-media technology.

[...]

Microsoft acquired a minority equity stake in Skinkers in exchange for Skinkers’ use of the Microsoft P2P intellectual property.

It’s the same old theme — to be sure. Microsoft is willing to spend a lot of money (which it no longer has so much of) just to leave its .NET fingerprints all over the Net. It makes another dependency in cyberscape. The solution, by the way, is not Flash. The solution is open standards and preferably an open implementation as well. Mentioned among the previous links digests: Adobe Pushes DRM for Flash

Now Adobe, which controls Flash and Flash Video, is trying to change that with the introduction of DRM restrictions in version 9 of its Flash Player and version 3 of its Flash Media Server software. Instead of an ordinary web download, these programs can use a proprietary, secret Adobe protocol to talk to each other, encrypting the communication and locking out non-Adobe software players and video tools. We imagine that Adobe has no illusions that this will stop copyright infringement — any more than dozens of other DRM systems have done so — but the introduction of encryption does give Adobe and its customers a powerful new legal weapon against competitors and ordinary users through the Digital Millennium Copyright Act (DMCA).

The possible Nokia-Microsoft tie-up (and action) versus Ogg and pro DRM (details coming soon) is why we strive to give Ogg versions of videos and audio. For reasons and concerns that we voiced here before, DRM is a big win for Microsoft, which told Forbes Magazine that it likes it — no matter how much consumers loathe it.

“Remember that Novell’s support for OOXML is done using Mono and remember that OOXML embeds DRM capabilities too.”It’s not just media companies that love DRM, mainly because DRM makes media application- or platform-specific, augmenting the existing problem of application and data compatibility to form a new class of lock-ins. Simplified example: think along the lines of “your song is only compatible with Microsoft Windows Vista and expires in 2009.”

The role of Flash (and Silverlight) is ever more evident when it comes to video. These can be used to build applications as well, but there won’t be many takers for a whole bunch of reasons. With videos and binary implementation comes DRM, which brings back to mind the recent discussion about Mono as a "ramp" for WMV, DRM, and the likes of that. It might just be an implementation bridge, a programmers’ hook. That, among other reasons, is why Mono worries us. Remember that Novell’s support for OOXML is done using Mono and remember that OOXML embeds DRM capabilities too.

The Inquirer is not a publication to be taken too seriously (nor lightly) when it’s sarcastic, but Charlie Demerjian, a faithful Linux user, has this bizarre new ‘interview’ with Miguel de Icaza:

Inq: Why did you name your biggest project after an infectious disease?

Miguel: Because I am Mexican and in Spanish, Mono means monkey.

Inq: Thank you for your time.

It appears more than evident that other sources are growing impatient when it comes to Mono and addressability of the questions surrounding it.

Share in other sites/networks: These icons link to social bookmarking sites where readers can share and discover new web pages.
  • Reddit
  • email

Decor ᶃ Gemini Space

Below is a Web proxy. We recommend getting a Gemini client/browser.

Black/white/grey bullet button This post is also available in Gemini over at this address (requires a Gemini client/browser to open).

Decor ✐ Cross-references

Black/white/grey bullet button Pages that cross-reference this one, if any exist, are listed below or will be listed below over time.

Decor ▢ Respond and Discuss

Black/white/grey bullet button If you liked this post, consider subscribing to the RSS feed or join us now at the IRC channels.

11 Comments

  1. jo Shields said,

    December 13, 2008 at 1:09 pm

    Gravatar

    Hey, an old post. With old lies. “Remember that Novell’s support for OOXML is done using Mono” is simply a lie. Roy lying? Shock horror!

  2. Roy Schestowitz said,

    December 13, 2008 at 2:53 pm

    Gravatar

    Please stop making accusations.

    http://www.nabble.com/Re%3A-OdfConverter-p15020575.html

    Novell builds odf-converter using Mono, and distributes it as a so-called bundled executable (platform-specific executable that includes the Mono runtime, i.e. not a platform-independent managed .NET executable) for Linux and Windows.

  3. jo Shields said,

    December 13, 2008 at 3:12 pm

    Gravatar

    odf-converter is a plugin for Microsoft Office, to output ODF files. It’s nowhere near as useful as Sun’s equivalent – and it remains to be seen what Microsoft’s support in Office 2K7SP2 will be like. Third parties who want to verify that can read http://odf-converter.sourceforge.net/

    By “Novell’s support for OOXML” what you actually mean is “Novell’s support for ODF”. No, wait, sorry. The REALITY is “Novell’s support for ODF”, you definitely MEANT to lie

  4. Roy Schestowitz said,

    December 13, 2008 at 3:23 pm

    Gravatar

    Oh boy!

    How the goalposts have moved.

    You totally changed the subject after being proven wrong. Can I please have my apology?

  5. jo Shields said,

    December 13, 2008 at 3:33 pm

    Gravatar

    Apology? Huh? You’re still talking shit!

    You’re asserting that adding ODF support to MSOffice is “OOXML support”?

  6. Roy Schestowitz said,

    December 13, 2008 at 3:36 pm

    Gravatar

    No, you’re dodging the Mono thing. I haven’t yet addressed your second question.

  7. jo Shields said,

    December 13, 2008 at 3:41 pm

    Gravatar

    What am I dodging, exactly?

  8. Roy Schestowitz said,

    December 13, 2008 at 3:50 pm

    Gravatar

    The Mono-OOXML connection.

  9. jo Shields said,

    December 13, 2008 at 3:54 pm

    Gravatar

    THERE ISN’T ONE

    You’re seriously claiming that writing a library in a language counts as an insidious black mark?

    I heard people write trojans and rootkits in C. Obviously GCC’s support for rootkits should be investigated.

    You really do make yourself out to be a complete fruitcake sometimes, Roy

  10. Roy Schestowitz said,

    December 13, 2008 at 3:57 pm

    Gravatar

    You are missing the point entirely. Novell uses projects like these to spread Mono. The converter is one example, another being Moonlight

  11. jo Shields said,

    December 13, 2008 at 4:06 pm

    Gravatar

    Moonlight 1.0 doesn’t use Mono in any way, shape, or form. But I know how much you hate reality.

    The odf-converter, an obsolete plugin to allow Windows users to work with ODF rather than OOXML, uses bundled Mono – meaning it’s essentially no different from a user perspective to a C-based app. Using Mono is a programmer convenience. It doesn’t “spread” Mono any more than a static app “spreading” libc6. But I know how much you hate reality.

    And more to the point, do you even know whether this “OOXML SDK” *works* on Mono? It may well be full of Windows-only P/Invokes. Making it useless to non-Windows platforms and Mono users alike.

DecorWhat Else is New


  1. Standard Life (Phoenix Group Holdings): Three Weeks to Merely Start Investigating Pension Fraud (and Only After Repeated Reminders From the Fraud's Victims)

    As the phonecall above hopefully shows (or further elucidates), Standard Life leaves customers in a Kafkaesque situation, bouncing them from one person to another person without actually progressing on a fraud investigation



  2. Standard Life Paper Mills in Edinburgh

    Standard Life is issuing official-looking financial papers for companies that then use that paperwork to embezzle staff



  3. Pension Fraud Investigation Not a High Priority in Standard Life (Phoenix Group Holdings)

    The 'Open Source' company where I worked for nearly 12 years embezzled its staff; despite knowing that employees were subjected to fraud in Standard Life's name, it doesn't seem like Standard Life has bothered to investigate (it has been a fortnight already; no progress is reported by management at Standard Life)



  4. Links 20/03/2023: Tails 5.11 and EasyOS 5.1.1

    Links for the day



  5. Links 20/03/2023: Amazon Linux 2023 and Linux Kernel 6.3 RC3

    Links for the day



  6. IRC Proceedings: Sunday, March 19, 2023

    IRC logs for Sunday, March 19, 2023



  7. An Update on Sirius 'Open Source' Pensiongate: It's Looking Worse Than Ever

    It's starting to look more and more like pension providers in the UK, including some very major and large ones, are aiding criminals who steal money from their workers under the guise of "pensions"



  8. Services and Users TRApped in Telescreen-Running Apps

    TRApp, term that lends its name to this article, is short for "Telescreen-Running App". It sounds just like "trap". Any similarity is not purely coincidental.



  9. Links 19/03/2023: Release of Libreboot 20230319 and NATO Expanding

    Links for the day



  10. Great Things Brewing

    We've been very busy behind the scenes this past week; we expect some good publications ahead



  11. Links 19/03/2023: LLVM 16.0.0 and EasyOS Kirkstone 5.1 Releases

    Links for the day



  12. IRC Proceedings: Saturday, March 18, 2023

    IRC logs for Saturday, March 18, 2023



  13. Links 18/03/2023: Many HowTos, Several New Releases

    Links for the day



  14. Links 18/03/2023: Tor Browser 12.0.4 and Politics

    Links for the day



  15. Links 18/03/2023: Docker is Deleting Free Software Organisations

    Links for the day



  16. IRC Proceedings: Friday, March 17, 2023

    IRC logs for Friday, March 17, 2023



  17. New Talk: Richard Stallman Explains His Problem With Rust (Trademark Restrictions), Openwashing (Including Linux Kernel), Machine Learning, and the JavaScript Trap

    Richard Stallman's talk is now available above (skip to 18:20 to get to the talk; the volume was improved over time, corrected at the sender's end)



  18. Links 17/03/2023: CentOS Newsletter and News About 'Mr. UNIX' Ken Thompson Hopping on GNU/Linux

    Links for the day



  19. The European Patent Office's Central Staff Committee Explains the Situation at the EPO to the 'Yes Men' of António Campinos (Who is Stacking All the Panels)

    The EPO’s management is lying to staff (even right to their faces!) and it is actively obstructing attempts to step back into compliance with the law; elected staff representatives have produced detailed documents that explain the nature of some of the problems they’re facing



  20. Links 17/03/2023: Linux 6.2.7 and LibreSSL 3.7.1 Released

    Links for the day



  21. GNU/Linux in Honduras: 10% Market Share? (Updated)

    As per the latest statistics



  22. Links 17/03/2023: Update on John Deere’s Ongoing GPL Violations and PyTorch 2.0

    Links for the day



  23. IRC Proceedings: Thursday, March 16, 2023

    IRC logs for Thursday, March 16, 2023



  24. RMS: A Tour of Malicious Software, With a Typical Cell Phone as Example

    Tonight in Europe or this afternoon in America Richard M. Stallman (RMS), who turned 70 yesterday, gives a talk



  25. Skyfall for Sirius 'Open Source': A Second Pension Provider Starts to Investigate Serious (Sirius) Abuses

    Further to yesterday's update on Sirius ‘Open Source’ and its “Pensiongate” we can gladly report some progress following escalation to management; this is about tech and “Open Source” employees facing abuse at work, even subjected to crimes



  26. NOW: Pensions Lying, Obstructing and Gaslighting Clients After Months of Lies, Delays, and Cover-up (Amid Pension Fraud)

    The “Pensiongate” of Sirius ‘Open Source’ (the company which embezzled/robbed many workers for years) helps reveal the awful state of British pension providers, which are in effect enabling the embezzlement to carry on while lying to their clients



  27. Links 16/03/2023: War Escalations and More

    Links for the day



  28. Links 16/03/2023: OpenSSH 9.3 Released and WordPress 6.2 Release Candidate 2, Lapdock News

    Links for the day



  29. IRC Proceedings: Wednesday, March 15, 2023

    IRC logs for Wednesday, March 15, 2023



  30. Links 16/03/2023: OpenSSL 3.1 Released, 10,000 More Staff Cut in Facebook, and Windows Loses 10% in Speed

    Links for the day


RSS 64x64RSS Feed: subscribe to the RSS feed for regular updates

Home iconSite Wiki: You can improve this site by helping the extension of the site's content

Home iconSite Home: Background about the site and some key features in the front page

Chat iconIRC Channel: Come and chat with us in real time

Recent Posts