Re: [libreplanet-discuss] Steam for Linux

[Jason Self]

Steven Hamilton said
> Steam for Linux

er; GNU+Linux.

> A long standing, highly respected PC gaming company.
> Proprietary
> DRM protections
> Limits play to only those machines authorised by Steam.
> DRM scheme is widely regarded as "good" by PC gamers

While companies would prefer you to think of DRM as being about
"protection" and "rights" DRM is better described as Digital
"Restrictions" Management.

This seems rather strange to me. Here's a company that makes
proprietary, user-subjugating software that you can only play on a
device that the master approves of. (Imagine what sort of things
become possible if someone else gets to decide what software you can
run on your computer.)

The free software movement says that you should be the one deciding
what the computers in your life are doing, and are not a servant to a
master that decides for you.

Yet the company is considered to be "highly respected" and people
actually like being a servant to a master that decides what they can do?

Why is any of this tolerated? Perhaps part of it comes from people
that are used to being mistreated? Maybe they're used to this and
don't think much of it or don't think they deserve any better?

There must be some kind of Stockholm syndrome going on here.