Hacker News Reader

Comment by jspaetzel | Hacker News Reader

This isn't the problem, it would actually make this problem worse. The issue here is long-term device support which google is negligent about.. take away their vendor lock in and the whole platform stops making financial sense at any level of quality.

View on HN

Are you saying that selling music/movies/ebooks/etc doesn't make financial sense without DRM and control? What about the history of vinyl, CDs, DVDs, Blu-Rays, bandcamp, DRM-free ebooks, GOG games, etc?

To be fair, both DVDs and Blurays have DRM on them. Of course, DVD's DRM has been broken for quite some time. For Bluray, older discs are rippable, but it's a cat-and-mouse game as old keys are revoked and new keys distributed for newer releases.

While I agree with you that some creators do believe they can still make a living with DRM-free content, many do not, which includes essentially anything from a major movie or TV studio.

I doubt it's about what the creators themselves believe or want...

It is the problem. Removing device support is akin to revoking the license. Google sold this license, demands some harsh conditions on devices and DRM but then doesn't care about keeping up its own part of the deal.

Imagine buying a car just to figure out that a couple of years later you can't fill it up anymore, because "that particular model of inlet is not supported any longer." You are not allowed to change the inlet.

Reply on news.ycombinator.com