[Office-commits] r9618 - trunk/campaigns

[sysadmin]

Author: www-data
Date: Mon Sep 21 15:19:47 2009
New Revision: 9618

Log:
web commit by holmes

Modified:
   trunk/campaigns/applevsbluwiki.mdwn

Modified: trunk/campaigns/applevsbluwiki.mdwn
==============================================================================
--- trunk/campaigns/applevsbluwiki.mdwn Mon Sep 21 14:49:07 2009        (r9617)
+++ trunk/campaigns/applevsbluwiki.mdwn Mon Sep 21 15:19:47 2009        (r9618)
@@ -1,5 +1,7 @@
-Apple uses their control of both the iPod and iTunes software to unfairly 
block competition from competing music players, or competing applications.  In 
addition to not publishing their API (the conventions through which the iPod 
talks to iTunes and vice versa) Apple changes it constantly, and in some cases 
the only goal of these changes is to force customers to only use Apple products 
with iTunes and vice versa.
+Apple uses their control of both the iPod and iTunes software to unfairly 
block competition from competing music players, or competing applications.
 
-When the Palm Pre smartphone (an iPhone competitor) included iTunes 
compatibility Apple quickly shot back with an automatic software update that <a 
href="http://www.precentral.net/apple-blocks-palm-pre-itunes-syncing";>broke the 
Palm Pre's compatibility</a> with iTunes.  The update didn't tell users that it 
could break compatibility with their new phone; the only warning was <a 
href="http://www.wired.com/gadgetlab/2009/06/apple-on-palm-pre-itunes-sync-watch-out/";>buried</a>
 in an Apple tech support page a few weeks earlier.   When Palm fixed the 
problem, Apple <a 
href="http://blogs.reuters.com/mediafile/2009/09/10/apple-cuts-off-palm-pre-sync-again/";>broke
 it again</a>.  They made their own software less useful, hurting their own 
customers, just to enforce lock-in.
+Apple does not publish the set of conventions, or "API", through which the 
iPod and iTunes communicate. In addition, they change it constantly; in some 
cases the only goal of these changes is to force customers to only use Apple 
products with iTunes and vice versa.
 
-In the other direction, Apple abused the DMCA to keep people from even 
<i>discussing</i> how to make other software players work with the iPhone.  
Apple tried to use the DMCA to force Bluwiki, a host of public wikis, to take 
down a public discussion of how to make other music player applications 
compatible with the iPod and iPhone.  The DMCA is a horrible piece of 
legislation which makes it illegal for you to assert your basic rights by 
breaking DRM.  But even the DMCA doesn't make iTunes compatibility illegal, let 
alone merely hosting a site that discusses it.   It took seven months (during 
which the page was effectively censored) and the threat of an <a 
href="http://www.eff.org/cases/odioworks-v-apple";>EFF lawsuit</a> to make Apple 
<a href="http://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2009/07/apple-backs-down-blu";>back 
down</a>.  Apple feels so entitled to the lock-in that DRM provides that they 
try to stretch DRM legislation to cover cases where it doesn't apply.
+When the Palm Pre (a smartphone that competes with the iPhone) included iTunes 
compatibility, Apple shot back with an automatic software update that <a 
href="http://www.precentral.net/apple-blocks-palm-pre-itunes-syncing";>broke the 
Palm Pre's iTunes compatibility</a>.  The update didn't tell users that it 
could break compatibility with their new phone; the only warning was <a 
href="http://www.wired.com/gadgetlab/2009/06/apple-on-palm-pre-itunes-sync-watch-out/";>buried</a>
 in an Apple tech support page a few weeks earlier.   When Palm fixed the 
problem, Apple <a 
href="http://blogs.reuters.com/mediafile/2009/09/10/apple-cuts-off-palm-pre-sync-again/";>broke
 it again</a>.  They made their own software less useful, hurting their own 
customers, just to enforce lock-in.
+
+Apple abused the DMCA (legislation which makes it illegal for you to assert 
your basic rights by breaking DRM) to keep people from even <i>discussing</i> 
how to make other software players work with the iPhone.  Apple tried to use 
the DMCA to force Bluwiki, a host of public wikis, to take down a public 
discussion of how to make other music player applications compatible with the 
iPod and iPhone. But iTunes compatibility isn't illegal under the DMCA, let 
alone merely hosting a site that discusses it.   It took seven months (during 
which the page was effectively censored) and the threat of an <a 
href="http://www.eff.org/cases/odioworks-v-apple";>EFF lawsuit</a> to make Apple 
<a href="http://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2009/07/apple-backs-down-blu";>back 
down</a>.  Apple feels so entitled to the lock-in that DRM provides that they 
try to stretch DRM legislation to cover cases where it doesn't apply.