I don't think the drm will work in the long run. It has to be proprietary to not allow hacking, anyone who has the source code can hack a program to undo what the original did. I heard some of the stronger drm's out interfere with screen reader use, meaning we're stepping backwards in accessibility, as we'd have to have sighted help to read a book we once could get in speech on the computer because of this technology, and the way screen readers access the system. At 09:00 AM 11/19/01 -0600, you wrote: > I certainly hope that players for DTB's will be available >for Linux when the technology actually begins to bear fruit. > > This truly is a wonderful next step in the Talking Book >program. Just think of the logistical problems of moving and >caring for physical materials that this solves. There will still >need to be traditional Talking Books for many years to come, but >I think this is the future and it may get to a point where there >won't need to be as many physical recordings produced as there >are now. > > The one thing I see as holding things up is the one >artificial technical issue and that is DRM or Digital Rights >Management. > > How is that going to be accomplished? The standards >document simply says that digital rights management will be >supported but probably wisely does not prescribe exactly what >sort of mechanism will be used. > > Hopefully, being eligible to receive traditional Talking >Books and Braille materials will enable one to also receive any >DTB's they are entitled to receive. > > In the main-stream consumer world, digital rights >management has not been doing too well. Some systems are hacked >almost before they are released. Other systems tend to do the >opposite and malfunction in ways their developers never thought >of to cause honest users of the technology to be denied service. > > Some rights management systems have even gained the >distinction of suffering from both maladies. The crackers >de fang the protection and the honest users discover that the >software thinks they are thieves because of something their >equipment or they accidentally did. > > This issue, not technology, has held up everything from >digital audio tape a decade or so ago to present-day high-definition >television systems. > > Linux and FreeBSD should actually be good test beds for >this technology because it is based on open-source models and any >hanky panky mechanisms such as back doors or scripting >applications are a little easier to police than they are in >proprietary operating systems. > >Martin McCormick WB5AGZ Stillwater, OK >OSU Center for Computing and Information Services Network Operations Group > > > >_______________________________________________ > >Blinux-list@redhat.com >https://listman.redhat.com/mailman/listinfo/blinux-list > >