[Kosh]

I was hoping they learned their lesson about this, but evidently not:

"A few days' testing of Windows 7 has already disclosed some draconian DRM, some of it unrelated to media files. A legitimate copy of Photoshop CS4 stopped functioning after we clobbered a nagging registration screen by replacing a DLL with a hacked version. With regard to media files, the days of capturing an audio program on your PC seem to be over (if the program originated on that PC). The inputs of your sound card are severely degraded in software if the card is also playing an audio program (tested here with Grooveshark). This may be the tip of the iceberg. Being in bed with the RIAA is bad enough, but locking your own files away from you is a tactic so outrageous it may kill the OS for many persons. Many users will not want to experiment with a second sound card or computer just to record from online sources, or boot up under a Linux that supports ntfs-3g just to control their files."

Re — Photoshop: That Photoshop stopped functioning after we messed with one of its nag DLLs was not so much a surprise, but what was a surprise: Noting that Win7 allows programs like Photoshop to insert themselves stealthily into your firewall exception list. Further, that the OS allows large software vendors to penetrate your machine. Even further, that that permission is responsible for disabling of a program based on a modified DLL. And then finding that the OS even after reboot has locked you out of your own Local Settings folder; has denied you permission to move or delete the modified DLL; and refuses to allow the replacement of the Local Settings folder after it is unlocked with Unlocker to move it to the Desktop for examination (where it also denies you entry to your own folder). Setting permissions to 'allow everyone' was disabled!

Re — media: Under XP you could select 'Stereo Mix' or similar under audio recording inputs and nicely capture any program then playing. No longer.

Yet another example of how DRM punishes paying customers (pirates always find ways around it, leaving them by and large unaffected). Next computer I get will have a windows XP/Linux dual boot, **** windows 7.

[Turambar]

guess i'll continue to pirate, even with things i own then.

one day, it'll all be cleared up.

[Nuclear1]

DRM = Prohibition for the 21st century

Funny how its going to end the same way.

[Grimper]

Is this file locking out stuff any worse than it is on vista?

[S-99]

I don't recommend dual booting as it's more trouble than it's worth. If you're a windows user dual booting with xp and linux. Chances are xp will be the primary operating system for doing everything that you need. Thinking with this, it makes dual booting pointless. I'd just keep a good linux live cd on hand instead like knoppix or mepis if you primarily use xp.

This windows 7 thing is completely outrageous. Sort of similar to how vista doesn't have hardware accelerated sound. This is bs. Stick with xp or vista i guess, and have hope for reactos to get out of alpha.

The RIAA and MPAA are just a bunch of retards anyway. At least we live in an age with OS alternatives where there fingers have never touched.

[Herra Tohtori]

Sort of similar to how vista doesn't have hardware accelerated sound.

Correction - it does support hardware accelerated sound, but it doesn't support the old DirectSound hardware acceleration extensions. OpenAL works and as a concept it's better than DirectSound (for much the same reasons I prefer OpenGL to Direct3D - multiplatform capability ftw) so as a whole, it might actually end up being a positive thing in the future when OpenAL developement is forced to reach higher levels and sophistication. What is bad about this is the way Microsoft dealt with the transition by simply dropping the support rather unceremoniously.

[Kosh]

I don't recommend dual booting as it's more trouble than it's worth. If you're a windows user dual booting with xp and linux. Chances are xp will be the primary operating system for doing everything that you need. Thinking with this, it makes dual booting pointless. I'd just keep a good linux live cd on hand instead like knoppix or mepis if you primarily use xp.

Almost all of what I do now can be done with Linux, I would just keep XP around for the odd things that don't like WINE. The issue I have with using XP as my primary is that as time goes on it will descend into deprecation. It's already 7 years old and several major things like SATA and multi core processing weren't invented when the OS was written, so support was more or less tacked on instead of being fully integrated. At this point with all the DRM BS coming out of the new versions of windows I'm not too keen on ever using anything newer than XP. I might as well get used to Linux.

Of course at this rate it will probably be a couple more years before I will get a new computer, but I don't think things will change that much.

[Dilmah G]

Oh now , this Windows 7 Bull**** makes me want to walk over to Seattle, break Bill Gates' glasses and show him what we do to poindexters who screw up a perfectly good line of Operating Systems "Back where I come from!"

[S-99]

Take a vista cd with you, and show him where he needs to shove it...with force. We'll see how much he likes paying for vista then just as much as the rest of us.

[ssmit132]

[pedantic]Bill Gates is retired now, so you can't lay all the blame on him.[/pedantic]

I was hoping they learned their lesson about this, but evidently not:

"A few days' testing of Windows 7 has already disclosed some draconian DRM, some of it unrelated to media files. A legitimate copy of Photoshop CS4 stopped functioning after we clobbered a nagging registration screen by replacing a DLL with a hacked version. With regard to media files, the days of capturing an audio program on your PC seem to be over (if the program originated on that PC). The inputs of your sound card are severely degraded in software if the card is also playing an audio program (tested here with Grooveshark). This may be the tip of the iceberg. Being in bed with the RIAA is bad enough, but locking your own files away from you is a tactic so outrageous it may kill the OS for many persons. Many users will not want to experiment with a second sound card or computer just to record from online sources, or boot up under a Linux that supports ntfs-3g just to control their files."

Re — Photoshop: That Photoshop stopped functioning after we messed with one of its nag DLLs was not so much a surprise, but what was a surprise: Noting that Win7 allows programs like Photoshop to insert themselves stealthily into your firewall exception list. Further, that the OS allows large software vendors to penetrate your machine. Even further, that that permission is responsible for disabling of a program based on a modified DLL. And then finding that the OS even after reboot has locked you out of your own Local Settings folder; has denied you permission to move or delete the modified DLL; and refuses to allow the replacement of the Local Settings folder after it is unlocked with Unlocker to move it to the Desktop for examination (where it also denies you entry to your own folder). Setting permissions to 'allow everyone' was disabled!

Re — media: Under XP you could select 'Stereo Mix' or similar under audio recording inputs and nicely capture any program then playing. No longer.

Yet another example of how DRM punishes paying customers (pirates always find ways around it, leaving them by and large unaffected). Next computer I get will have a windows XP/Linux dual boot, **** windows 7.

How do we know that this is supposed to happen and is not a bug?

And anyway, I myself have not had any problems with any Digital Rights Management, principally because I don't (I believe) do anything that it would choke on. I don't go around replacing DLLs just to get rid of nag prompts. And I've no problems with recording from my sound card in Vista. What's this rubbish about everything after XP not allowing you to do that? Recently I recorded something from a video in Winamp and it was a decent quality.

Also, have you read all the comments below that article? I agree with the person who posted the last comment - I think this guy jumped to conclusions that Windows 7 is overly restrictive. I'm not saying it isn't, it may well be, but I would like to see some more concrete evidence.

[Kosh]

Maybe so, but it is true that Vista does have         large amounts of DRM that weighs down the system

[Dilmah G]

Maybe so, but it is true that Vista does have large amounts of DRM that weighs down the system

Yeah, UAC is just a hassle as well IMO. At least you can turn the thing off.

[ssmit132]

Maybe so, but it is true that Vista does have         large amounts of DRM that weighs down the system

I read some of that essay from the first link. You may have a point about this extra bloat, but does that mean that the end user should not use Vista even if they don't have problems with it?

[Solatar]

I love Linux...I'm not really that tech savvy either, and Ubuntu is great for me (I can usually google any problem I have and find a fix...). My younger sister just got a brand new laptop with Ubuntu on it, and she loves it. All she does is sit on facebook, type papers, and browse the internet.

[MP-Ryan]

I've found Vista is a significant step-up from XP in several ways and I've had nary a problem with DRM schemes.  That said, this documented behaviour of the Windows 7 beta is unbelievable.

[Woolie Wool]

Maybe so, but it is true that Vista does have large amounts of DRM that weighs down the system

Yeah, UAC is just a hassle as well IMO. At least you can turn the thing off.

Yes, and compromise your computer's security against hackers and exploits. It's basically Windows' equivalent of sudo in Linux, and I strongly, strongly recommend leaving it on, even if you find it annoying.

[blackhole]

Wasn't most of this present in vista? I just continue to use my method of having a short little stereo cable that routes my headphones to my line in and record that.

[S-99]

Maybe so, but it is true that Vista does have large amounts of DRM that weighs down the system

Yeah, UAC is just a hassle as well IMO. At least you can turn the thing off.

Yes, and compromise your computer's security against hackers and exploits. It's basically Windows' equivalent of sudo in Linux, and I strongly, strongly recommend leaving it on, even if you find it annoying.

Very good comparison there. However certain users will still want UAC off. If you run an admin account all the time in vista, then you'll notice that UAC does nothing at all (so go ahead and turn it off). UAC in a standard user account in vista however is very much the equivalent of sudo in linux.
UAC is much better integrated into the system than xp's equivalent runas prompt.

I've also found vista to be a significant step up from xp as well. However, i don't have extra audio or video devices to be crippled by vista drm which is all that vista drm seems to care about. The not being able to play audio through unprotected devices in vista is more or less true. My room mates desktop with vista has a wierd sound configuration and he has a hard time switching between headphones and speakers.

[SadisticSid]

Yes, and compromise your computer's security against hackers and exploits. It's basically Windows' equivalent of sudo in Linux, and I strongly, strongly recommend leaving it on, even if you find it annoying.

The problem with Vista's UAC is that it becomes so intrusive and unncesesary (e.g. moving files triggers UAC - WTF?) that people turn it off in anger, or automatically click yes without thinking, defeating its point entirely. You don't need to sudo on a Unix box except to change configurations and install software. I gather Windows 7 has made some changes so it doesn't come up with every single mouse click.

[Enigmatic Entity]

I think I'll stay with XP for a while. There'll be nice little packages around to make it look like the new versions. I don't really like the idea of GED [Global Electronic Domination].