"The home media server will manage television programming, delivered by cable, satellite or the Internet; and music, delivered by the Net or transferred from CDs into the server's hard drive. The server also might handle more computer-like functions, such as electronic mail, instant messaging and Web browsing, as well as entertainment services such as online video games."

the new moxi server is truly amazing...all your video and music on one main box wired to your coax, with wireless connections to satellite boxes around the house...very 2005
- big jimmy 1-15-2002 5:26 am [add a comment]

Yeah, the moxi server is sexy. Predictably though I don't like it. This is a big move in the push towards getting rid of the general purpose computer.

I imagine the big content companies asking themselves "How can we deliver all this digital content, but insure that consumers are only able to do with it what we want?"

The answer, of course, is to take away the general purpose computer (where "general purpose" means "configurable" - you can get at the OS level and change things around, adding software of your choice, deleting previously installed software, writing your own, etc....) The home media server is an attempt to create such a closed box solution. Microsoft XP is an attempt to do this in software. They're all going to offer to take you for a ride on the infotainment highway, but they're not going to mention that you'll be locked in the trunk once you agree to go along.

Why not just leave a regular PC at the center of things? Well, maybe because they are "too hard to use," but I think it's really because they don't want you to be able to download Kaaza or Morpheus and share files. Or they don't want you to be able to install software to rip CDs to MP3s. Or they don't want you to be able to install Jabber if your home media server comes with Microsoft Instant Messenger and some sort of monthly service contract with MSN. They probably don't even want you to be posting to digitalmediatree.com, because you really should be using some $x/byte web hosting service owned by a company they made a deal with. (Note, I'm not against the cost here, but the lack of choice - like the deal will be made by the set-top box maker with, say, AOL, or MSN, and then the box will come loaded to only work with those services, and you won't have the choice to decide who to pay.)

Yeah, I know, nothing new here. Of course I think this. But these devices are coming, regardless of what I think, and I guess they will be good for some people. The problem is, I fear that this is just the first wave. And when it doesn't work out so well for them (and it won't I think) they might try to go further. I think they might try to actually outlaw the general purpose computer. For any use.

Crazy? I hope so.

Very curious what you think...
- jim 1-15-2002 2:45 pm [add a comment]

Hope you don't mind us having this conversation over here d.f.

Anyway, looks like things are happening faster than even I thought. Slashdot has a link to this letter from Jack Valenti in the Washington Post. In it he calls for the end of what I have called "general purpose computers."

The Register has this rebuttal that pretty well sums up my feelings.

Note that I don't think Valenti will get what he wants necessarily, but it is vital that people understand what he is asking for. Digital Rights Management built into every computing device at the hardware level, plus "other ingredients... too complex to explain in a few sentences" (read: some crazy shit you would hate if you knew what I was talking about, but I'm not stupid enough to come right out and say it.) The "other ingredients" are of course the complete lockdown of the OS from the hardware level so that computer device owners are no longer in control of their own machines (so they can't bypass the digital rights management part.) And while it's often argued that this isn't really important, because most people are too stupid to control their own machines anyway (the "nobody can even program a VCR" argument) this is a red herring. The reason everybody should want general purpose computers is so the pool of developers who can screw with the machines on that level is as large as possible. Competition is good. Locked down markets (through legislatively locked down hardware) are bad for consumers. It's my contention that if the industry would build an open platform, everybody will make more money. Even them! Build a locked down platform and they'll have another Divx on their hands.
- jim 2-27-2002 4:39 pm [add a comment]

And, on the heels of Valenti's piece (no doubt orchestrated, timing wise, from behind the scenes) here's the legislation that will make this a reality.

Now if only Valenti could get a little military action going so no one notices what is happening...
- jim 2-27-2002 9:11 pm [add a comment]

- kjuhgg (guest) 1-04-2003 5:55 pm [add a comment]