Bug#638968: ITP: libnetmd -- Libraries for accessing Sony NetMD MiniDisc Walkman
Package: wnpp
Severity: wishlist
Owner: John Paul Adrian Glaubitz <glaubitz@physik.fu-berlin.de>
* Package name : libnetmd
Version : 0.0.1
Upstream Author : The linux-minidisc project <linux-minidisc@lists.fu-berlin.de>
* URL : https://wiki.physik.fu-berlin.de/linux-minidisc/
* License : GPL
Programming Lang: C
Description : Libraries for accessing Sony NetMD MiniDisc Walkman
libnetmd is a library providing access to so-called NetMD MiniDisc Walkman. NetMD is
an extension to the classic MiniDisc system which allows to transfer audio tracks
digitally to the recorder [1].
The transfer itself is encrypted while the audio data on the medium remains unencrypted
to be compatible with existing MiniDisc recorders and players. Encryption is achieved
through DES and 3DES using a secret root key and dynamically generated session keys.
Luckily, it is not mandatory to use Sony's proprietary secret but also possible to
use one's own generated keys. The current implementation uses a very geeky custom
generated root key: 0x13371337133713371337133713371337. This key works and is at the
same time unencumbered, thus there are no possible legal issues.
The library has been around since around 2004, but it was not until recently that
transfer capabilities were achieved, making the library now actually useful. By
packaging the library for Debian, users will finally be able to use their MiniDisc
hardware completely with free software.
A related library support Sony HiMD Walkman is called libhimd and has its own
ITP/RFP [2].
[1] http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/MiniDisc#NetMD
[2] http://bugs.debian.org/cgi-bin/bugreport.cgi?bug=533112
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