[KBoards Admin]

Yes, I think we're in agreement that it's a good policy - and that's a good thing.

 

[Guest]

Yep, I am in total agreement, piracy is bad, M'kay.

 

[Guest]

I still have several DOS games.  The free application DOSbox allows me to continue to replay most of them.  (My DOS games are why I didn't upgrade to XP until a year ago.  I could still access DOS in Win9

 

[Selcien]

I had a rant against DRM but I opted to delete it, suffice it to say that I'm against DRM as I believe that it only allows companies to dictate how honest people use what they've legally purchased.

However, I completely agree with your stance on DRM discussions as I've posted on IGN when they weren't strict, and a person could quite easily obtain stolen music with their message boards (you used "code" words in your posts and then you got PM'ed the information that you needed). There can be legal repercussions of allowing this kind of discussion, no reason for you to be taking that kind of risk.

 

[Gertie Kindle]

I still have several DOS games. The free application DOSbox allows me to continue to replay most of them. (My DOS games are why I didn't upgrade to XP until a year ago. I could still access DOS in Win9

Thanks for the info. I'd love to play with Larry again. Not to mention Freddy Farkas Frontier Farmacist ... another brilliant Sierra game.

 

[Guest]

Thanks for the info. I'd love to play with Larry again. Not to mention Freddy Farkas Frontier Farmacist ... another brilliant Sierra game.

There is now a freeware version of Freddie Farkas that was released by Al Lowe's partner. Not sure where one can get it. LR has a copy. She can probably help you find it if you can't on your own.

 

[Gertie Kindle]

There is now a freeware version of Freddie Farkas that was released by Al Lowe's partner. Not sure where one can get it. LR has a copy. She can probably help you find it if you can't on your own.

Thanks. I'll start looking. A five pack of Leisure Suit Larry is available on Amazon for under $20 and they've got a new one about his nephew, but that's $50.

I shouldn't even be thinking about this, but I'm so weak.

 

[Angela]

I still have several DOS games. The free application DOSbox allows me to continue to replay most of them. (My DOS games are why I didn't upgrade to XP until a year ago. I could still access DOS in Win9

My old DOS games is why I have partitioned my hard drive and have both Win98 and XP... I just run whichever I am in the mood for.

 

[Dori]

Would have no idea about how to do that.

 

[Gertie Kindle]

Would have no idea about how to do that.

I used to know how to do that, but then I got "older" and retired and ... what were we talking about?

 

[Guest]

DOSbox is really the way to go if you are tech challenged. It is pretty easy to do once you meet the learning curve. (It is a multi-step process to start a game.) But, well worth the effort if you love your old DOS games. Now, where is that Tex Murphy.........lol.

 

[Guest]

I just had a thought and I am sure it's not an original one, it's too obvious.

When I buy a printed book, read it and am done with it, I usually give them away to another reader.  No one bats an eye at that.

Why are the rules so messed up for digital books?  Shouldn't there be a way to move the file from my devices to someone else's. 

I don't mean copy it.  Once I transfer the file, it is gone from my devices and the original is now on another device.  Same copy, different place.

Sure, I could all ways let someone use my Kindle to read something but that just seems wrong...like lending out my tooth brush or something.  eww. 

 

[Jeff]

Why are the rules so messed up for digital books? Shouldn't there be a way to move the file from my devices to someone else's.

What you say makes perfect sense. BUT. The problem is that there's no tangible object to hand off like there is with a book. Digital media is just a bunch of zeros and ones.

DRM protected books are very much like DRM protected software insofar as the buyer is granted a license of sorts to read the book. In order to transfer ownership there would need to be some vehicle for transferring license.

Jeff

 

[Guest]

Yep, I guess someone needs to devise a way to legally transfer the license.

 

[hazeldazel]

i'm sure that to publishers, that handing off a dead tree book to a friend or selling it to a used-book store is piracy.  There's also nothing they can do about it and really, the amount of revenue they're losing is small because how many times can one copy of a book be borrowed/sold?  With electronic versions, they *can* do something about it and the potential revenue losses are huge when one person can upload an illegal copy that can be downloaded by thousands.

 

[Guest]

I understand all that.  The biggest fallacy of my argument is comparing digital media with analog media.  Apples and Oranges similar but very very different.

 

[Betsy the Quilter]

What you say makes perfect sense. BUT. The problem is that there's no tangible object to hand off like there is with a book. Digital media is just a bunch of zeros and ones.

DRM protected books are very much like DRM protected software insofar as the buyer is granted a license of sorts to read the book. In order to transfer ownership there would need to be some vehicle for transferring license.

Jeff

I've had software where there were provisions for transferring the ownership, but it was expensive software with copy protection, like a USB key. I can see where a $3.00 or even $10 book isn't worth the hassle of tracking who owns it....

Betsy

 

[Jeff]

Many software companies are charging for technical support as a method of compensating for the loss of sales revenue caused by piracy. I can’t think of an equivalent remedy for digital book publishers.

The other big difference is that I know the names of everyone who legally owns my software but I have no idea who buys my books.

Jeff

 

[Angela]

I used to know how to do that, but then I got "older" and retired and ... what were we talking about?

LOL

 

[MikeD]

I have no problem following the site policy, now that I am aware of it. So the following in no way implies that the site should change its stance. I support the right of those who run this place to determine what they do and do not want posted. That is only fair.

But since this has turned somewhat into a discussion about piracy and DRM, and in the spirit of this, "It is acceptable to post about DRM in general, e.g. to discuss DRM-related issues and benefits" let me also take this chance to express my opinion.

I do not believe in piracy, but I also do believe in the rights of those who purchase electronic media. I never have and never will illegally distribute any electronic media - be it books, music or games. But there is nothing illegal about modifying format or manipulating DRM in order to use your rightfully purchased media on other devices. That is where the "fair use doctrine" comes into play. For example, I purchased several DRMed mobipocket books from Fictionwise over the last several years for use on a PDA and then modified them such that I could also read these same books on my Kindle. These methods do NOT allow one to remove DRM, so one cannot then readily redistribute said e-book to multiple random parties.

IMHO, this is not piracy, but "fair use".

That is just my opinion, which I feel compelled to give since my reply to a member looking to modify his library for "fair use" is probably what caused the need for the clarification of site policy.

Again, I support this site's right to determine what policies they do and do not want to implement and will follow same.