07-15-2005, 01:00 PM
Did some reading, and it turns out they are doing this to bring in content otherwise unavailable to the PC. Don't get me wrong here, they'll abuse it, but it's not for everything.
I see one major reason why it's content controlled: Put simply, it washes Microsoft's hands completely. Any complaint is now stuck in limbo, because the operating system isn't entirely at fault.
ie. Complain to MS about needing a new graphics card (yeah, it's the bus [PCIe and the like] that's being policed, not the monitor) and how expensive it is, etc. They'll say "it's the content provider's fault, since they don't want people pirating their stuff. The policy is theirs alone."
Complain to the content provider, and they'll tell you to use less-than-premium content or bite the bullet.
::PostScript::
Let this serve as a lesson in consumer power: it's like a hostage situation. There are people who lack power, and thus use coersive means to get it (the hostage takers). The police give them power, fearing for the hostages.
Consumers are the police, content is the hostage. You (the consumer) fear loss of content, so you bend over (not necessarily backwards, if you know what I mean) and take whatever the provider dishes out, albeit not quietly. What would happen if you said "Your terms are unacceptable."? Or if everybody did?
I see one major reason why it's content controlled: Put simply, it washes Microsoft's hands completely. Any complaint is now stuck in limbo, because the operating system isn't entirely at fault.
ie. Complain to MS about needing a new graphics card (yeah, it's the bus [PCIe and the like] that's being policed, not the monitor) and how expensive it is, etc. They'll say "it's the content provider's fault, since they don't want people pirating their stuff. The policy is theirs alone."
Complain to the content provider, and they'll tell you to use less-than-premium content or bite the bullet.
::PostScript::
Let this serve as a lesson in consumer power: it's like a hostage situation. There are people who lack power, and thus use coersive means to get it (the hostage takers). The police give them power, fearing for the hostages.
Consumers are the police, content is the hostage. You (the consumer) fear loss of content, so you bend over (not necessarily backwards, if you know what I mean) and take whatever the provider dishes out, albeit not quietly. What would happen if you said "Your terms are unacceptable."? Or if everybody did?