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Against DRM in HTML5∝

The web would certainly be better off without Microsoft Silverlight and Adobe Flash Player, but the idea that putting DRM into HTML itself to make them obsolete is absurd. The EME proposal would not make proprietary, platform-specific plugins disappear; in fact it makes a new space for them as Content Decryption Modules (CDMs). These would be no less of a problem for Web users, especially those using free/libre and open source browsers and operating systems. The fact that they would gain legitimacy as a Web standard would make them a much bigger problem.

Just one of two other great points about DRM in HTML5. Want to watch Netflix? Well, your browser provider will need to sell their soul (and you can buy it back provided you download this CDM and pay $9/mo for the rest of your life).

SimCity’s Failure∝

This reminds me a lot of the launch of Spore: overly restrictive DRM. This is different in that the game is entirely online and relies on servers. That is severely broken, though the lack of a single player completely local mode, while touted a social feature, is also definitely a crippling method of DRM. When Spore was selling on Amazon, everyone wrote defaming reviews and now everyone is doing the same with SimCity.

This is just in: Spore is actually beating SimCity.

Polygon should review Spore, a neat little game from five years ago.