Torvalds pleased that DRM music is dying

Linus Torvalds, coordinator of the Linux kernel, is pleased that music publishers have started selling more DRM-free music -- last year he said the technology was a lot of "hot air".

In order to watch video content you need to enable javascript and install Flash player version 8 or above.

In a video interview at linux.conf.au 2007, which was held in Sydney, Torvalds admitted he had a particular dislike for DRM because it makes life more difficult for users.

"One reason I really dislike DRM is that it is technologically an inferior solution to not doing DRM. It actually makes it harder for people to do what they want to do. It makes it harder to do things that you really should be able to do," said Torvalds at the time.

At this year's linux.conf.au in Melbourne, Torvalds said he had been vindicated.

"I forget exactly what I said last year but I think I have been vindicated -- at least in the US -- DRM is so anti-consumer I don't see it really ever taking off.

"What you have seen in the last year is that DRM music has basically gone away. I know that is not true here -- you probably have a hard time finding non-DRM MP3s legally in Australia -- but in the US, go to Amazon," he said.

Talkback 1 comments

Latest Videos

Sponsored content

Power Centre - Content from our premier sponsors

Blogs

  • Brad Howarth The key Topik is always money
    One of the big problems of the internet is that is practically impossible to keep up-to-date on preferred topics. You can limit your sources, but this can mean missing a lot of valuable data.
  • Array Do we need the legislative blackmail?
    Virtually everyone in the telecommunications industry has their say in the Senate Standing Committee's public hearing into the pending legislation to split up Telstra, in this week's Twisted Wire podcast.
  • Array Give Tax a break for a Change
    Considering the circumstances the Australian Taxation Office's (ATO) Change Program has been operating in over the last few years, it really hasn't been going too badly.
  • More blogs »

Tags

Back to top

Featured