DonS.CF : Miscellaneous

Please Welcome The New Microsoft Developer Evangelist for New England - Chris Bowen!

Dons — Mon, 23 Oct 2006 14:08:03 GMT

I happened to read Chris Bowen's latest blog post today. He has accepted the position as Developer Evangelist for Microsoft in the New England district. While Chris follows a legacy of two fantaatic predecessors in Russ Fustino and Thom Robbins, he brings what I feel are the right "ingredients" for success -

A deep understanding of Microsoft platforms, tools and technologies;
A wealth of experience with the .NET platform;
Strong ties to the Microsoft developer community in New England.

I have had the pleasure of knowing Chris for a while, and I am truly pleased for both him and the community.

BTW - Chris (much like his predecessors) has a great sense of humor. This "soft skill" goes a long way in my book... ;-)

Windows Live Writer Beta...

Dons — Tue, 17 Oct 2006 15:14:01 GMT

Gee - I almost forgot to mention...

I have started using the Windows Live Writer Beta. The posts made over the last several days use it. Having used w.bloggar and BlogJet in the past, I have found Windows Live Writer to be similar in functionality. Considering that it is free, it's a pretty nice little offline blogging tool.

.NET Speech Server Day Tips and Tricks Presentation Now Available

Dons — Fri, 07 Apr 2006 01:14:00 GMT

Thanks to everyone for attending today's .NET Speech Server Day at the Microsoft offices in Waltham. As promised, my PowerPoint slides from the presentation can now be downloaded from the BostonPocketPC.com web site.

Enjoy!

Community-Credit.com: Show Your Community Involvement (and Win "Stupid Prizes")

Dons — Wed, 15 Mar 2006 12:50:00 GMT

Thom Robbins pointed out a web site this past week on his blog; he also gave a personal "shout out" to me about it. I think that CommunityCredit is a fantastic idea! -

Earning Credit in the Developer Community

What is Community Credit?
Community Credit is a way of showing your contribution to the technology community. Community Credit helps show off the enthusiasm and passion you have for the success of our industry.

How do I actually get points?
You can submit points on our Point Submission page. Simply type your name, email address, date you earned the points and point category and they will instantly be added to your total. The points that you earn can be seen on our Community Leaders.

If you are active in the developer community, you should really check out CommunityCredit.

Virtual Earth Madness - Presentation and Code Now Available

Dons — Wed, 01 Mar 2006 19:11:00 GMT

Thanks to all of you who attended the Virtual Earth Madness developer event at the Microsoft Waltham, MA offices today. Also, thanks to those that attended virtually via Live Meeting. For those who are unaware, Virtual Earth (aka - Windows Live Local) provides an SDK that allows web (and WinForm, with a bit more coding) developers to provide a wealth of mapping, search, location and direction-based information into their applications.

I have posted a ZIP file in our Downloads Section that contains my PowerPoint presentation, as well as fully functional sample HTML code used during the presentation. If you haven't checked out the Virtual Earth SDK yet, you don't know what you (or your web site) is missing out on.

You can download the presentation and code directly from here -

Virtual Earth Madness - Anatomy of a VE Application

Mobile Phone Web Scammers - You Gotta Love 'Em

Dons — Tue, 14 Feb 2006 14:00:00 GMT

The plethora of unlocked cellular phones that are available for direct consumer purchase has made for a nice new "cottage industry" - the mobile phone Internet scam. In the <extreme sarcasm>"Wow! What a surprise!"</extreme sarcasm> category, most of these scams come from - drumroll please - Nigeria (home of the "Hello, I am <insert unpronounceable name>, the head of the <insert ficticious organization or company>. My <insert relative or work relationship> has..." e-mail). In this scam, phones are offered at ridiculously low prices, usually using a Yahoo, Hotmail or GMail accout for contacting. So why, you may ask, am I bringing this up. Well,...

Usually, my days begin by going to the BostonPocketPC.com web site for a quick "check in". Lately, these quick checks have taken a bit longer. You see, I start by looking at our latest forums postings, muttering some obscenity, then deleting a bunch of these mobile phone scam postings. NOTE - IP banning is relatively worthless; a new IP comes back for the next round. Then, I look at news submissions (our web site allows for the posting of news from the community; fortunately, the posts are queued first for editorial approval). Again, mutter some obscenities, then begin deleting news posts. Actually, I find it quite humorous to think that some idiot in a faraway land thinks "Hey! I'll post this scam advertisement IN ALL CAPS and referencing the same old Yahoo e-mail account to Don's news queue 10-12 times in a row. He'll never catch on!"

So, the following is my advice -

Do not buy an unlocked cell phone from just anyone. There are a number of reputable (and legitimate) sites on the Internet to go to;
If buying from eBay, give "due diligence" to research to avoid these folks;
If you are uncertain about a seller, don't take any chances; err to the side of caution.

In conclusion, to all you mobile phone scammers who persist in annoying me daily at BostonPocketPC.com, I leave you with the following quote from the immortal philosopher Mr. Garrison of South Park fame...

"YOU GO TO HELL! YOU GO TO HELL AND YOU DIE!" :-D

Thinking "Mobility Geek Dinner"... Hmmmm...

Dons — Sat, 11 Feb 2006 16:59:00 GMT

With all of talk around "geek dinners", I started to think it might be fun to have a casual gathering for all the mobility-oriented geeks, just for a change of pace. Don't get me wrong - I love the general geek dinner. In the Boston area, though, I think you have to rent out a whole restaurant (if not an arena) to accommidate all of the participants ;-)

So, what do you folks in the Greater Boston area think - time to convene a Mobility Geek Dinner? If I hear enough positive feedback, I'll get the ball rolling.

Club Pocket PC - Boston Meeting Wednesday, Feb. 15th

Dons — Sat, 11 Feb 2006 16:55:00 GMT

While not a developer topic this month, I thought this might be of interest to those Windows Mobile device owners who want to flex their "device multimedia muscles" a bit more... ;-)

The next Club Pocket PC - Boston meeting will be held Wednesday, February 15th starting at 6:30 PM at the Microsoft offices in Waltham, MA (201 Jones Road, 6th Floor).

The theme for this next meeting is Multimedia Madness! If you've wondered about all of the ways that you can use your Windows Mobile device for multimedia functionality, then this is the meeting to attend. Steve Hughes and I will cover the array of Windows Mobile possibilities for video and audio on Windows Mobile Smartphones, Pocket PCs and Pocket PC Phone Edition devices, including:

- Built-in functionality with Windows Media Player Mobile;
- Integration with Windows Media Player 10 on the desktop;
- Third-party utilities for video and audio playback and conversion;
- Windows Media Center integration features (note: we will be demoing MCE 2005 as well, so if you're wondering what MCE is all about, this is another reason to attend).

As usual, we'll also have items for giveaway!

Hope to see you there!

New England SharePoint User Group Meeting February 28th

Dons — Thu, 09 Feb 2006 16:24:00 GMT

As some of you know, I began work with a new company shortly after the first of the year. One of the many Microsoft technologies my company is involved with is SharePoint (both Windows SharePoint Services and SharePoint Portal Server). We are also proud to run the New England SharePoint User Group. For those involved with projects surrounding collaborative solutions, this user group is a wonderful resource of information. The next meeting may be of additional interest to those who are interested in presence-awareness and corporate IM -

Topic: Presence Enabling SharePoint with Microsoft Live Communication Server

Please join us at the New England SharePoint User Group meeting on Tuesday, February 28, 2006.

5:45 - 6:00 Registration

6:00 - 7:15 Presence Enabling SharePoint with Microsoft Live Communication Server with Chris Chalmers, Microsoft Technology specialist, Real-Time Collaboration

A powerful feature of SharePoint is the ability to see the online/offline “presence” of any user whenever their name appears, and to use a one-click menu displaying all available communication options for that user, including sending email, sending instant messages, and looking up calendar free/busy data and telephone numbers. Enabling “presence” within SharePoint increases collaboration, decreases lag time in communications, and multiplies the value of SharePoint. Presence is managed and controlled by a separate Microsoft product called Live Communications Server.

Chris Chalmers will demonstrate presence-enabled SharePoint sites, explain Microsoft’s vision for presence, and detail how to deploy a Live Communications Server and presence-enable a SharePoint site. Chris Chalmers is a technology specialist in the Real-Time Collaboration group, based in the Northeast District. His entire tenure at Microsoft has been within the RTC group. Prior to Microsoft, Chris held various technical positions at e-Learning and CRM application companies. He is a contributor to the microsoft.public.livemeeting forums, and a Microsoft Certified Professional.

7:15 - 7:30 Q&A

Where Microsoft Corporation - 201 Jones Road (6th floor), Waltham, MA 02451
The meeting is free, but space is limited. To register, please email NERSUG@starit.com.

Ramping Back Up...

Dons — Mon, 30 Jan 2006 16:27:00 GMT

OK, OK - I admit it. Things have been a bit slow around these parts (again). I think, however, that I can safely say I've had some very valid reasons for it. Anyone who knows me personally will likely agree. Enough dwelling, though. Time to get back down to business... [:)]

Launch 2005 Screencast Contest

Don — Fri, 21 Oct 2005 19:05:00 GMT

Fellow Mobile Devcaster, good buddy and all-around niceguy Thom Robbins passed along word of a new contest going on in preparation for the big Visual Studio/SQL Server/BizTalk Server Launch -

Great opportunity to get involved in the launch!

Are you a video jockey! Create a screencast starring Microsoft Visual Studio Team System, Visual Studio 2005, SQL Server 2005 or Biztalk Server 2006… and you!

I am happy to announce that the East Region Evangelism Team and TechSmith have come together to promote the Launch Tour 2005 with a screencasting contest. To join the funs – and competition – download a free 30 day evaluation of Camtasia Studio. Then record you on onscreen action, your audio, and even your webcam feed.. To show off your rock star personality.

Winners will be selected for the following tour cities: New York City, Boston, Philadelphia, Washington D.C., Atlanta and Orlando. All winning entries will receive a backstage pass to these events and rock star treatment at the event, as well as various prizes includes a copy of Camtasia Studio.

The grand prize winner will be flown to New York City (from within the continental US) to give a demo live, onstage during the during the Steve Guggenheimer keynote!

The winning screencasts will be featured on Channel9

Ready to go to Rock School?

Register for the event that you’ll be attending
Send your AVI screencast submission to Thom Robbins. Entries must be received at least two days prior to each event.

Official rules, Camtasia download information and additional details can be found here.

Murphy's Law - BostonPocketPC.com Down

Don — Wed, 28 Sep 2005 16:38:00 GMT

Wouldn’t you know it – the moment you go on the road, things tend to fall apart. In this case, BostonPocketPC.com has gone down . The issue – server load. I am working with the hosting provider on a solution (a real treat while not at home), and hope to have a resolution soon.

UPDATE 7/29/2005: BostonPocketPC.com is *still* down, and will be for a couple of days while we move to a dedicated server. In the end, this should resolve a lot of issues and provide some other opportunities.

Musing on the Windows-Powered Treo and the Palm OS...

Don — Mon, 26 Sep 2005 16:56:00 GMT

As I write this, the countdown has long since begun for the press conference announcing the Windows Mobile 5.0–powered Palm Treo 700w device. For some, this day serves as a sort of “VP Day” (“Victory Over Palm”) in the Windows Mobile world. As someone who once used and developed for the Palm platform and subsequently followed the “long and winding Palm road” for a number of years, it does give an opportunity for reflection.

I first started using the Palm OS back in the 3com days with a Palm Pilot Professional. I owned several models before making the switch in 2000. I was very interested in Palm development, but the options at that time were either expensive (CodeWarrior) or complicated (GCC development). As someone interested in use for the enterprise, I ended up limiting myself in those days to PQA-oriented applications. I saw these early obstacles to enterprise development as being a potential pitfall over time, and to some extent, I think I was right. While the Palm did eventually open opportunities for web-based development in a more standardized fashion, serious enterprise application development was limited by tools and technologies.

I really think that some of Palm’s issues relate to the age-old business problem of what you do when you’re “Number 1”. As any sports franchise (and most businesses) will tell you, it’s difficult enough to get to Number 1, and immensely more difficult to stay there. I found the attitude of Palm executives in the first couple of years after the Pocket PC’s launch to be somewhat arrogant and static. The OS went through no innovation for a long period of time, while hardware innovation was mostly evolutionary. As a side note, people who lament over issues with upgradability of Windows Mobile devices typically never went through the period of “zero upgradeability” over several Palm OS releases. It was as bad, and usually worse.

By the time Palm started to react to diminishing marketshare, the responses were just that – reactionary. It seemed to me to lead to another mistake that has a sports analogy. Any coach will tell you that the last thing you ever want your team to do is to play someone else’s style of game rather than your own. Palm truly lost one of its differentiators when it lost “The Zen of Palm” (despite what Palm execs proclaimed). Palm devices and the OS did basic PDA tasks well, and the move towards more features and functionalities created complexities for users. At that point, it became a matter of who did the complex better; this was not Palm’s strong point.

So – what does the future hold? Well, those that proclaim another Microsoft monopoly forget that it has not been a “two-horse race” for a while now. While many work hard to discredit the viability of the Linux OS on PDAs and Smartphones, it is still a definite player. One cannot in any way avoid the prominence of the Symbian OS in the Smartphone world, either. That is, of course, if you do not want to repeat Palm’s mistakes. As for the Palm OS – the acquisition of PalmSource by ACCESS Japan still leaves a lot of questions. Do they continue the traditional OS route? Do they focus on PalmSource’s work in the Linux space? Do they simply want intellectual property? We will simply have to wait and see.

One thing is for certain today; another major change in the PDA and Smartphone space is occurring. I (like many others) never thought I would see the day when Bill Gates and Ed Colligan would stand shoulder-to-shoulder at a public press event. The world is ever-changing; while we think some things could never happen, well… “never say never”.

MSN Alert Me! Actually, you...

Don — Tue, 20 Sep 2005 19:05:00 GMT

I’ve signed up and set up DonSCF.NET to now be available via MSN Alerts. You can sign up for MSN Alert notifications whenever new content is posted. In order to subscribe, you will need a Microsoft Passport account.

To sign up, simply click on the “Alert Me” icon on the right side of the home page. Heck – you can also click right here:

Where In The World Is Don?

Don — Fri, 15 Jul 2005 16:26:00 GMT

Everywhere, it seems (at least to me). Things have been very, very busy as of late both at the office and “after-hours”. Hopefully, things will start to return to normal soon (he said, wishfully).

ActiveSync 4.0, WiFi Sync and Some Clarification

Don — Tue, 10 May 2005 21:13:00 GMT

If you have not heard, Windows Mobile 5.0 (the OS formerly known as “Magneto”) was announced today at MEDC (Mobile Embedded and Developers Conference). Lots of great stuff for end users and developers. If you are looking for information, we’ve posted a lot at BostonPocketPC.com.

Also announced today was the release of ActiveSync 4. Now, before you go out and install this, there is something very important you need to know. ActiveSync 4 does not include WiFi synchronization (except with Exchange Server). If you use this functionality and need it, please continue using ActiveSync 3.8.

The immediate backlash from this has been quite harsh. I am concerned, however, that the whole story regarding the removal of this feature has not been told thus far. So, I feel it is important to me to post something that I feel is immensely important here and now for posterity's sake.

As I just mentioned, ActiveSync 4.0 does *not* include WiFi synchronization. This was initially brought to all of the Mobile Device and .NET Compact Framework MVPs attention a couple of months ago. Also clearly stated at that time was the reason.

WiFi ActiveSync has never been secure. While this has essentially just "slipped by" for quite a while, the recent emphasis by Microsoft on security across all product lines made this an issue. When it was realized that a serious security hole existed, the problem then became what it would take to close that hole. Unfortunately, quite a bit of work needs to be performed.

In order to Windows Mobile 5.0 to ship, ActiveSync 4 needed to ship at the same time. Some of the synchronization enhancements required an update that is included within ActiveSync 4 (AS 4 is backward-compatible with older devices, though) The decisions, therefore, became quite limited. Either:

1) Remove WiFi synchronization from ActiveSync for now, allowing for the product to ship on time;
2) Delay release of both Windows Mobile 5.0 and ActiveSync 4.

The final decision was the former of the options.

I can say that the entire body of Mobile Devices AND .NET Compact Framework MVPs were very troubled by the removal of WiFi synchronization. The result of this is that Microsoft is looking at what would need to be done to bring WiFi synchronization back AND alleviate the security issues.

Why am I stating all of this here? For a couple of reasons -

1) Microsoft did give some people a "heads up" on this issue. In addition to MVPs, developers participating in beta testing for Windows Mobile 5.0 development were made aware of this issue. I want to be perfectly clear about this - people were informed.
2) A number of people expressed concerns over this issue, and Microsoft listened. Although the short-term solution was undesirable, there is no permanence. Again - people were informed.
3) All - I cannot emphasize this enough - ALL of the people who were involved in the discussions were made clearly aware of the reasons why this decision was made. Any comments to the effect of "I can't understand why this happened" are simply not true. Period – end of discussion.

Listen - I find this whole thing a hard pill to swallow, too. But I refuse to run from the issue and act like it was done in utter silence and without explanation. While I might not agree with the result, I can accept the fact that there was a valid reason for it, and I am appreciative in the fact that it was explained to me. I also can't sit by and let anyone who knows this to give any impression to the contrary.

Here’s to hoping that the solution to the ActiveSync 4 WiFi security problem is resolved sooner rather than later, and that those you use this (myself included) will have a restored and secure experience moving forward.

Corporate Blogging, Risk Management and "The Journalist Becoming Bigger Than The Story"

Don — Sun, 24 Apr 2005 16:03:00 GMT

I’m typically not inclined to comment here on things that are not .NET CF or mobility related, but events of the last couple of days have actually managed to tear me away from a very hectic schedule to make this post.

For those of you who have not been following, the whole story starts with news of Microsoft pulling support for a Washington state gay rights bill. According to reports, pressure from the “religious right” was cited for the change on Microsoft’s part (c|net coverage).Of course, the blogsphere caught on to this quickly, with a great deal of passion.

Robert Scoble has come out strongly against his employer’s position on this, starting with the post “Microsoft abandons gays? Not me.” He then followed by blogging about Steve Ballmer’s company memo on the issue, and (after being granted permission) posted a link to the memo and a response. All of this leads me to the real point behind my post.

First, some up-front statements to clarify:

My issue here is not with the nature of the news being discussed. Whether you are for or against the the bill or actions surrounding it.
I am still (as I always have been) heavily in favor of blogging in general and corporate blogging. More on that in a minute.
I still (as I always have) believed in the rights of people to speak up when they feel that they need to, as long as they understand the ramifications of their actions and are willing to accept them.

Now, on to source of my angst…

I am a huge proponent of corporate blogging. I sincerely believe that corporate blogging does bring a more “human voice” to a company, and provides others with a better understanding of how people within the corporate walls come to the decisions that they do. I think this is especially true in the technology sector, where users of a technology often feel alienated by companies when decisions are made. Corporate blogging by key people who have both insight, strong communications skills and (important) a strong sense of discretion and bring the gaps between a corporate entity and their customer base. The events of the last couple of days, however, bring to light issues which make the road to adoption of corporate blogging a bumpy one.

I can speak from personal and industry experience in saying that there are still some roadblocks to widespread corporate blogging. The biggest of these, in my personal opinion, include:

The exposure of indirect issues/topics surrounding a company’s business practice to public scrutiny. Simply put, the corporate world is historically shy enough as it is to open discussions regarding it’s products and/or services by it’s employees. A bigger “what if” fear surrounds those things that do not relate directly to it’s sales, but can have adverse effects on public relations. Of course, politics and religion always rank high on this list.
Whether we all like it or not, the events of the last several days with Microsoft and the Washington anti-discrimination bill and subsequent corporate blogging serve as fodder for every non-blogging corporation’s risk management minds to disallow the practice. This has become a “see what happens” type of lightning rod.
The ability of an individual not in the traditional corporate hierarchy to become more prominent to the outside world. Most companies still maintain a hierarchy of prominence based upon where people reside in an organizational chart. Corporate blogging opens the door for individuals “further down the food chain” to potentially become more prominent and visible (for either positive or negative reasons). I liken this to the corporate equivalent of “the journalist becoming bigger than the story”.
In another “like it or not” reality, many corporate entities find this aspect of blogging both risky and threatening. A non-executive leading the discussion of executive-level/ board of director issues is perceived as a lack of control.

Give credit where credit is do here. Microsoft has stepped up to the plate and truly backed up their support of corporate blogging by allowing Robert Scoble to speak his mind and support that right. Whether people love, hate or are in between with regards to Microsoft as a company, you have to acknowledge their leadership and fearlessness in this regards. Unfortunately, all of this has likely done more damage than good to the future of corporate blogging. Something this high-profile that exposes the perceived risks will simply make the road to adoption that much harder. I cannot help but feel that a lot of hard work advocating the practice has melted away, and I (and others) will be starting the process all over again.

As a final note on this subject, I ask that all of those fortunate enough to be in a desirable corporate blogging situation to take a moment of pause whenever you post on sensitive subjects regarding your company. Please remember that you not only demonstrate the success of this communications vehicle, but also potential pitfalls. I would suggest that you add something similar to the following in all of these types of blog posts -

Blogging about issues like this are worth the risk to my company because…

I will take any help I can get in advocating corporate blogging, you know ;-)

Why I Believe The PDA Won't Die

Don — Thu, 10 Mar 2005 19:24:00 GMT

Last week, fellow BostonPocketPC.com’er and friend Steve Hughes posted his thoughts on a c|net article by Molly Wood entitled “Molly to handhelds: just die, already”. Steve and I have had this conversation for about as long as I’ve known him, and I have found myself addressing this issue since shortly after the birth of the “modern-day” PDAs in the mid-‘90s.

I believe that, as Steve says, Molly doesn’t get it. I also think that Steve does get it. The problem with Molly and so many others who follow and report on technology is their clearly myopic view of concepts and implementations. They view what they see before them today (the implementation) as the concept. These are two entirely different things.

The overarching technical concept of a PDA is to be a Personal Digital Assistant (yes – that is what the acronym stands for). How it is implemented evolves over time. Just look back at those cute little Casio and Sharp “digital organizers” of over a decade ago. They were PDAs, like it or not, based on the concept of a PDA. Ten years have passed, and we have seen the evolution of the technology concept of a PDA transform implementations over and over again. If I were to apply Molly’s myopic view of things to the marketplace in 1995, then the death of the OZ spelled the death of the PDA ;-)

Certainly, the technological implementations of PDAs will continue to evolve, with new features and functionalities. Does this mean that the converged device of the future cannot be a PDA, simply because it is not today’s perception? Of course not. The concept of a Personal Digital Assistant and its value in any of a number of use cases will always exist. How manufacturers and technology implement solutions to meet these needs may change, but as long as demand exists (and it certainly does) there will be solutions.

As an aside – when will the analysts (who do get paid to provide insight) finally actually research the devices they are reporting on when it comes to statistics. Molly (and everyone else, it sometimes seems) is basing their PDA “death knell” on declining sales of certain devices. On the other hand, they also report that sales of smartphones are on the rise. HELLO!?!?! Try crunching the numbers AND combining handheld PDAs and phone-based PDAs (which is what a Smartphone essentially is) and see what you get.

One last note – did I mention that how, based upon recent sales numbers, the home computer is destined to die? ;-)

In Light of a Great Tragedy...

Don — Wed, 29 Dec 2004 22:29:00 GMT

After watching the events of the last few days in Asia, I am still in a state of shock over the powers that we still do not understand, as well as the way that thousands upon thousands of lives can be lost in an instant.

While there are many ways in which you can contribute, I thought I would pass along one way that makes it as easy as possible for you to help those that are, as we speak, going through a crisis that is (in my opinion) impossible to ever imagine.

OFF-TOPIC: Why Is DRM So Hated?

Don — Mon, 20 Dec 2004 23:09:00 GMT

I posted an article earlier today about my early experiences with Windows Media Player 10 Mobile and DRM-protected content providers at BostonPocketPC.com. Amazingly, I have already started to receive e-mails of a rather... well - let's just say "distasteful nature". Even more amazingly, none of these e-mails have to do with whether or not the technology works, but that the mere existence of the technology is "fascist", "evil", "un-American", etc. It really makes me question why DRM is so hated - even if it can work.

As a software developer, I believe strongly in the protection of intellectual property if the author wishes. Yet there are those who persist in defending to ridiculous extremes the rights to have crackz and warez sites. The funny thing, though, is that there are some people out there who believe that while illegal software is wrong, DRM is an entirely different story. Guess what - IT'S NOT.

The goal of DRM is to protect against piracy of digital media. It is no different than protecting any other kind of intellectual property. To argue that using a pirated copy of Windows XP is wrong, but ripping a CD to BitTorrent and sharing it with the world is, at best, a really bad rationalization to help someone to sleep better at night. If an artist wishes to protect their intellectual property, it is their right.

I am perfectly open to accepting previous arguments regarding the implementation of DRM technology. Bottom line - many of them have flat-out sucked. Many still do. But for the first time on my part, I have seen a DRM strategy in Janus and Windows Media Player that might actually work. It is not perfect, mind you, but it is a step in the right direction (protecting author's rights while still providing consumer and content provider flexibility). The mere fact that I point this out to someone is the easiest way to determine whether or not they were simply hiding behind the "DRM doesn't work" mantra. I have actually demonstrated Janus in conjunction with Windows Media Player 10 Mobile to people, only to have them literally fly off the handle. I actually had someone accuse me of "rigging it up" 8-|

While I am at it, I better not forget the "Your a puppet of the <expletive deleted> RIAA" argument. Response - No, I am not. Matter of fact, I probably agree with you on many things regarding the RIAA. Where I differ, however, is by saying that they have a right to protect their interests. Just not in the ridiculously over-zealous and absolutely misdirected way that they have (by and large).

Finally - there is the "slippery slope" DRM argument, which sums up to the possibility that we may some day not be able to copy music we purchase, even for use on our other devices. I don't disagree that the possibility exists. The current implementation of Janus DRM is dealing with this, however, and allowing for setting criteria for ripping to other devices. Could DRM be abused by, say, record labels? Of course it can. They could make it so that you could never copy music under any circumstance. Newsflash - They've been trying this already with flat-out copy-protection, mainly under the argument that DRM doesn't work. Ironic, isn't it - DRM makes strange bedfellows ;-) If a form of DRM can be proven to work, then it will be "put up or shut up time" for the record labels as well.

Look - you can argue about the implementation of DRM, the potential for abuse of DRM by content providers, the possible hassles that it might provide. But to argue that the concept of DRM is wrong is no better than arguing for legitimizing any other form of theft. If you want to attack the Janus/Windows Media Player 10 implementation of DRM, go right ahead. If you want, instead, to e-mail to personally attack me or the the concept of DRM, do me a favor - find someone who can waste time playing psychoanalyst to people who are desperately rationalizing. That's not me.