Jenny Levine, over at The Shifted Librarian, is telling the latest chapter in her long-running struggle with DRM.
Now, I?ve installed a lot of Windows software in my day, so I feel pretty confident in my ability to double-click on an installation file. However, when I try to install [Yahoo Music Engine], I get three screens into the installer (oh the joy of accepting the license agreement over and over) before I get an error message that says, ?The file c:\downloads\ could not be opened.? That happens to be the folder where the file is located, so I find it odd that the installer can?t find the folder it?s located in, let alone the file. I?ve tried rebooting the computer. I?ve tried redownloading the file. I?ve tried lighting a candle and chanting. Nothing seems to get the installer to, you know, install. The computer meets all of the system requirements and then some. So either I?m just not destined to live the happy, DRMed life the entertainment industry waxes on about, or our house is built on an ancient technology burial ground. While I readily admit there is a lot of dead technology in the basement, I?m leaning towards the former.
Previously: DRM stories at MaisonBisson.
tags: ancient technology, drm, entertainment industry, error message, jenny levine, music engine, problems, windows software, yahoo music
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[...] What’s DRM? It’s that â??digital rights managementâ? component of some software and media that supposedly protects against illegal copying, but more often prevents legitimate users from enjoying the stuff they’ve bought legally. Now think about how this works (or doesn’t) in libraries… [...]
[...] People hate DRM. It prevents law abiding folks from enjoying the music and movies they’ve purchased, and it does little to prevent crackers from making illegal copies. [...]
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