Then there's this attitude about mp3 as it stands, "Everyone who uploads an mp3 has to be uploading an illegal mp3". In the past three years I've either talked to people who have had their files pulled or have had it happen to me. It doesn't really matter whether you own the right to the work or not, it's an mp3, some people are downloading it so let's pull the plug. I've even had it suggested at one stage that I can have them online, but only if I fax signed statements for each file saying they're my own! [~loopy] and or spend time informing people as to the exact content of each file I wish to make available. And trust me, some of those files in reflection sound horrible, amateurish etc...
As someone who writes small programs at times the idea of having to deal with this sort of thing at all seems OTT andI very much doubt the programming community is going to endorse anything that may effect the amount of free and useful software out there. The number of people who benefit from free software, free addons or unnofficial work everyday is a staggering number. On top of that I cannot see many of the large companies agreeing to letting this kind of arrangement exist.
I think it's more likely that a subscription service might be how these software management schemes end up being deployed. You either opt in and pay $$$$ to be in it or you don't. Microsoft already has schemes like Passport which verify users of websites, but still the number .NET based websites using it is very low in comparison to the sum total of sites using the technology out there.
I might also point out that there have also been other initiatives by companies such as Microsoft to create electronic funds transfers standards such as Ewallets and various forms of electronic cash but the technology so far has been found to be very unpopular.
In Australia Microsoft attempted to force a number of institutions into taking up new licenses for the latest version of a number of MS products on a subscription basis, this push failed. Why? They'd already upgraded to something that did everything they wanted in the past few years and as far as they were concerned they saw no reason to start renting something they owned the right to operate indefinitely. In the consumer market versions of office that expire were on the shelf at one stage, but the price differential between the expiring/infinite use version was such that I don't think many people bought it. I certainly didn't. I was more than happy with what I'd already bought anyway.
If enough people vote with their feet then I think some of these "protection" schemes will be implemented, but not quite on the scale some parts of industry would like.
Spratman
