Re: DRM in debian?
On Thu, 10 Mar 2005 12:11:15 +0000
Lee Braiden <jel@tundra.ath.cx> wrote:
> On Thursday 10 March 2005 11:00, Seeker5528 wrote:
> > The applicant downloads the file and it gets keyed with a random key so
> > that applicant is the only one outside the company that can read that copy
> > of the form and change the field data they supplied.
>
> I can't imagine why you would want to prevent someone changing a form on their
> own computer. If it's their form, on their computer, they should be able to
It wouldn't be their form it would be my form designed to get the
information I need to evaluate the applicant.
> do whatever they want with it, including printing it out so their kids can
> draw cartoons on the back. If you want to make them take the information
> seriously, then train them to take it seriously, or they'll just tell someone
> what's on the form, no matter how secure the form itself is. This is the
The way I stated it in my example keeping whats on the empty form secret
is not relevant. Anyone could could have the software needed to interact
with the form and see what is on it. It's about maintaining the
integrity of the form and only allowing what is relevant at each stop it
makes along it's journey.
Once I've created the form, the form elements have no reason to be
changed. The applicant has no reason to see the extra comment boxes so
that is hidden from them and once they have filled out the form and sent
it back there is no reason for the data they supplied to be changed and
there is reason for it to be protected. The form gets to the person
doing the initial review and they narrow down the field and add their
thoughts on it and/or additional information collected during the review
process whatever.
There is plenty of room to debate whether DRM is needed for this or if
there are other equally good ways of accomplish the same thing, but
convenience and psychological factors weigh in on that decision as well.
I don't know what can be done with PDF relative to my example, but it is
being used for forms, so have an open source application that can handle
that and honours the DRM is something I view as a good thing.
> same old misunderstanding with security: giving away liberties in a vain
> attempt to solve a symptom of a problem in a different domain.
That is only one side of the coin.
On the other as in the form example you have specific things designed for
specific purposes, where the liberty question is irrelevant.
In the same way that I and many others feel that P2P networks should not
be banned just because they can be used for piracy, I feel that DRM
should not be rejected just because it has it's bad use at the other end
of the spectrum.
Later, Seeker
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