On DRM

When it comes to DRM “protected” music people tend to be either completely ignorant as to how it affects them, or even that it affects them, or they’re religious zealots who have such extreme viewpoints you can’t have a sensible discussion about the issue.

But there’s one simple exercise that will explain just how dangerous DRM is to you and your friends:

• What computers were people using ten years ago?
• Can you run the software from those computers on your current computer? Does anyone even support or update the software from then? Would you want it even if they did?
  Macs were running OS 7 in 1996. Windows was Win 95.
• Considering that Moore’s Law essentially says that computers will double in power every 18 months do you really think that the computers we have ten years from now will even remotely resemble the ones we have today?

With that in mind what will become of the DRM “protected” music you buy today from iTunes, or almost any other online music store, if the software to decrypt it can be reasonably expected no neither be supported, nor runnable in ten years?