It's time to join the Firefox bandwagon again, as the new release has just been made available. It's stunningly quick to render webpages - makes Safari look a tad slow! - and is fully supportive of the technologies used in this site :-D. I did have a download link available but I've removed it so that people are sure that they get a genuine version.

Get Firefox Now!

As some of you have probably read, I enjoy seeing where people find out about my site, and where they're from in the world. To provide me with some more statistics, I installed Google Analytics on the site a few weeks ago. Due to the overwhelming demand for the now free Webstats service, I've only just got the stats through from Google.
The one thing I love about Analytics is the fact that I can block my IP Address from registering hits, so I can see who [if anyone] is visiting my site as opposed to me doing live-testing of the site! The one thing I hate is that the code does not validate as XHTML, but I'm going to check that today or tomorrow as time permits so that the homepage once again is valid XHTML [means I'll have to modify the MSN Alerts code as well :-(]. Once Google accepts registrations again, I'd recommend you to take advantage of the free website service which used to be $199 a month [I understand], in Firefox however as it's another Google offering that doesn't support Safari [yet :-|].

It's been almost a week since I last moaned about Sony, but a new comment from the Head of the RIAA has made me rather mad, and goes to show how out of touch with reality the RIAA are.

"There is nothing unusual about technology being used to protect intellectual property. You can't simply make an extra copy of a Microsoft operating system, or virtually any other commercially-released software program for that matter. Same with videogames. Movies, too, are protected. Why should CDs be any different? .......... The problem with the SonyBMG situation is that the technology they used contained a security vulnerability of which they were unaware. They have apologized for their mistake, ceased manufacture of CDs with that technology,and pulled CDs with that technology from store shelves. Seems very responsible to me. How many times that software applications created the same problem? Lots. I wonder whether they've taken as aggressive steps as SonyBMG has when those vulnerabilities were discovered, or did they just post a patch on the Internet? ........... One other thing to point out: The music industry has been more permissive about copying of its copyrighted product than virtually any other industry. How many burns are you allowed of a movie? None. How many of a videogame? None. You get the idea. Even the CDs with content protection allow consumers to burn 3 copies or so for personal use. The idea is not to inhibit personal use, but to allow personal use but discourage (not prevent, you can never prevent) copying well beyond personal use."

Ok, he's had his say, I'm gonna have mine. :-D

Fair point - you can't copy a M$ operating system, however it doesn't contain spyware and malware [although that last comment is a matter of opinion ;-)] or other 'features' that aren't included in the EULA [End User Licensing Agreement]. Microsoft do have the activation thing, but that is stated in the EULA and you know about that before you purchase the software. It's the same for DVDs - except you don't have to have proprietary software installed on your system and it doesn't affect your system by putting the DVD in your drive!

"Security vulnerability of which they were not aware" means they released it without considering the impact of their technology. In fairness, all software manufacturers have security vulnerabilities that are remedied in patches, however the patches do actually remove the risk, not simply create another as was the case for Sony BMG. Unfortunately for $ony, it's taken 3 weeks simply to get to this stage, and I think that that is an appalling time for a response. If a food recall is issued, it happens overnight. Why not the same admission of guilt from a Record Company?

The final point makes me mad. We're allowed to make 3 copies for personal use? Whoopdeedoo. iTunes lets us own 5 different copies, and it's cheaper, oh and by the way, it works with an iPod! :-D All this debacle has made me do is laugh. $ony has now released unprotect MP3 versions of their songs that used the XCP technology [and ultimately defeated the point of XCP!], replaced millions of CDs, and we're by no mean done yet. Lawsuits, and the MediaMax revelations are only just kicking off. I can't wait!

Came across this on the Unofficial Apple Weblog. It's a really funny mickey take of the Apple CEO.

I've made my report available here, and I've put my photos online too. I've been sent a photo of me apparently running into the store, so I thought I'd post it for the hell of it. Thanks to Ian Parkinson for the photo!
Yes, that's me - the blur running into the store! :-D

With just 20 minutes to go the T-shirts have finally come out YAY!!!

Well what a laugh. Just when we thought the queue had added a massive two people to it, we discover one of the guys sitting in the queue is actually a security guard for the opening.
We're now back up to a full compliment of 7 people in the queue! :-D

More very soon!

Well I've arrived, and I'm second in queue! :-D
It's dead. There are 5 people in the queue. So yeah, I'll blog when it livens up. I've forgotton my USB cable so there'll be no photos until I get back to the flat! :-|

Well, this is turning into a daily rant, but I've come across a remarkably funny observation. A couple of weeks ago, I noticed on MacWorld UK that the newest $ony MP3 player was being advertised. That's odd, because it doesn't actually work with Macs. Anyway, after the recent outrage, I read my latest fix from MacWorld UK about the XCP discs, and low and behold there it is again! Someone should tell them about this, but I guess I'm not gonna do it! ;-)

Notice the phrase they use to describe the MP3 player as "Like No Other" [which incidentally is a registered trademark of Sony]. Oh how apt it is for the company at the moment!!! :-D

People have asked me why I hate $ony so much, however I don't hate everything $ony. I have a fantastic digital camera from them which I love, and the photos it takes are rather good! ;-)

Well, what d'ya know, $ony is in trouble again over it's XCP CDs - and it's not about the rootkit this time! $ony is actually infringing a copyright agreement with a free piece of software. Read more here. It's just crazy. Sign an online petition against $ony here.

Man, the site stats are crazy! My sleuthing photo about the Trafford Centre Apple Store means I've been directly linked to by a JAPANESE Mac website! :-o I'm gonna be at the store when it opens on Saturday [YAY!] and so maybe even more people will visit the site once I get a gallery online!

Here's some screen grabs of the stats for the site. If you're a first time visitor, please fill in my Frappr map to show where all my visitors are from!

$ony has announced that all CDs that use the Rootkit technology have stopped being produced [from Computer Buyer]. It's only taken 9 days to do this..... how many more days/weeks/months/millennia will legitimate Sony customers have to wait for a DRM system that is fair to both rights holders and customers? ;-)

Sony Alert: Quote of the Day

Why are $ony determined to make more bad publicity??? The head of $ony/BMG Global Digital Business Division is quoted in Macworld UK as saying "Most people don't even know what a rootkit is, so why should they care about it?"

Well, if you don't know what a rootkit is, let me explain.....

What is a rootkit?
A rootkit is a piece of software that bypasses most of the system functions, and works at the most basic level possible to interact with the PC. In this case, the rootkit monitors the entire activity of the CD-ROM drive looking for certain files [i.e. those that $ony wants to protect on the CD].

Why is it bad?
At the original installation, the rootkit masked its presence, making it impossible to remove. Moreover, the way it hid itself allowed viruses to hide [basically any file with $sys$ at the start of the name was masked].

What should I do to detect a rootkit/remove it?
Update your virus scanning software and then follow $ony's instructions [Disclaimer: Do any of this at your own risk!]. DO NOT UNDER ANY CIRCUMSTANCES TRY TO MANUALLY REMOVE THE SOFTWARE AS IT WILL CORRUPT YOUR SYSTEM, MAKE THE CD DRIVE UNUSABLE, AND MAYBE FORCE YOU TO REFORMAT YOUR HARD DISK.

A virus has been created that poses as an image, and uses the $ony DRM software I've been moaning about for the past week to hide its existence on infected Windows PCs. Please ensure that all Anti-Virus Software is updated IMMEDIATELY!

Well, no sooner do $ony deliver a patch for their XCP digital rights management system than it's discovered that the software can actually break Windows [how much worse can it get ;-)] and connects to the Sony website without alerting users. Read more here. I think there's going to be more on this as the week progresses....

Links for Monday 7th November
Computer Buyer
SysInternals
BBC News
VNUNet - This is particularly interesting, as it suggests the doom of all the record labels doing a $ony

More Content for Monday!

So $ony are being sued in the US about this copyright stuff? Yep, the favourite American past time of sueing is again in action, and I'm sure we'll hear much more of this soon. ;-)

Even More!

How cool is it that apparently, the DRM doesn't work on Mac!!!! Yeah, it's time to switch!

Sysinternals is the site on which the whole $ony DRM problem was revealed. Here's the articles:

Revealing the flaw
About the patch
The CD is rated 1/5 on Amazon, purely because of the DRM!

Tuesday 8th November:
More from Down Under
Italian Police are investigating $ony

After seeing SmashMyIpod.Com, I decided to add another rant about those who despise the iPod.....

Firstly, I'm a Mac nut. Yes, I think Apple are BRILLIANT, but it's for practical reasons - I love the simplicity of the Mac, the easy approach that iLife offers, and the integration between a great media player [iTunes] and a great MP3 player [the iPod].
I might be echoing lots of other sources, but I don't think people criticise Apple because they're doing any thing wrong. The only reason that Apple receives criticism is because it has made a great integrated product [something that nothing else really offers], has made a huge amount of money, and is the benchmark in the MP3 player/media software area.

Let's look at people who are trying to grab a slice of the iPod pie...... and look at how successful they've been [or not].

-The Record Companies. Since the introduction of the iTunes Music Store, more than half a billion songs have been legally purchased through it, and the catalogue contains more than 2 million tracks [yet is still growing!]. The record companies have made more money than ever [thanks to the fact that they earn more per legal download than they do per physical sale] yet they seem to want even more! A highly amusing look at one particular person's attempt to ensure more money to the record companies can be found on RoughlyDrafted.Com.
Let's think about this...... So Edgar Bronfman Jr wants to cut off the music to a store which supplies most of the worlds entire legal download market? Well given that most artists actually use iPods, and that the iPod is the worlds most popular MP3 player, I think we might have a revolution on our hands. [Note, Apple is expected to ship 37 MILLION iPods this year and that's limited by possible supply problems!!]. I've picked Sony out for a [dis]honourable mention later as they're losing the plot, or so it would appear.

-iPod Users. They're suing Apple. This just strikes me as bloody ridiculous. The iPod nano is TINY. As a result, I'd be tempted to put it in an unusual pocket. This might mean more scratches, or even a cracked screen, but that is NOT APPLE'S FAULT. [Incidentally, I'm quite happy with my 4th Generation 40Gb iPod - it's size makes me realise it's in my pocket, and I would never sit on it]. But that is not all! These nano users want a share of Apple's profits on iPod nano sales!!! I wonder whether the lawyers for this case are rubbing their hands at the thought of a slice of the iPod's profits in any settlement.....why else would they include such a ridiculous claim?

-Sony. For the company that invented the Walkman, I am truly shocked at some of the things they come out with:

-SonicStage, their iTunes rivalling [yeah right] software for their MP3 players. I owned a NetMD device for a year, and have never been so infuriated in all my life. The initial install was so buggy [instead of 1 install program, about 7 were used with all the modules for stuff to work in SonicStage], and even then only used the ATRAC3 codec for music, that I looked forward to the launch of the new 2.0 release. When it arrived, it was slightly faster [think nanosecond improvements!*], and included an online store - YAY! I used a free coupon and received 5 songs. I listened to them, and burned them to disc. Then along came version 2.1. I upgraded, let it run a check on the 1000 track music database, taking about 15-20 minutes to update - not the 3 seconds iTunes took to update my 3500 songs recently [iTunes 5.0 update]. I play one of my purchased tracks, and :-| the DRM is corrupted, and will not play. I had to redownload 100MB of music, just because Sony's disjointed software install ruins the files. Next day, I imported a CD into SonicStage. And that wouldn't play - even though there was no DRM in the files apart from normal ATRAC encoding. I gave up and just made do with some other MDs.
Before people email me to say that SonicStage has changed, I would like to add that I am only justifying my personal reasons for disliking the software before my change to iTunes and the Mac platform, which is not supported by Sony's MP3 players.

-Sony Music. Didn't want to play ball with iTMS in Japan or Australia. Still doesn't in Australia [at the time of writing]. So the artists went direct to iTunes. Good effort!

-Copy Protected CDs. When I saw this [and this] today, I was at first suprised, and then wasn't. Sony's new way of ensuring their copy-protected CDs are[n't played on Macs] securing their intellectual property, is to allow software to go onto systems without the users permission, and [potentially] harbour viruses. That's a really good idea! Update: TUAW has an article too! Pity this user who had to reformat their hard-drive after Sony installed the software.

*Note: I was installing it on a brand new 3.06Ghz Dual Core Pentium 4!!!
=============

So to conclude on that epic rant........

To the Record Companies [except Sony] - Don't bite the hand that feeds you. OK, Redmond [i.e. M$] isn't controlling your music, but since when have you had favourites so long as the money keeps rolling in?

To Sony - Stop be a petulant child, and accept that if you'd got digital media right the first time, you wouldn't have had to license the Sony BMG catalogue in the first place. Just because you're left consoling by the fact you're not the No. 1 Online Music Store doesn't mean you can't make money from selling your music elsewhere! [Let's face it, they'd make money from selling music to baboons given half a chance].

To me it seems silly that Sony and Microsoft are not getting into bed together to battle a common "enemy" but I'm sure they all have their reasons.......notably the Playsfor thingy, and WMA files!

Any way, on that note, I'm gonna go and have a stiff drink :-D, whilst sorting out what I'm gonna do for the opening of some more Apple Stores ;-) Trafford Centre and Meadowhall here I come... ;-)