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Posted

I had been thinking parallels of hardware/software like PCs. Imagine if you bought a computer/laptop and couldn't change the OS? Or you couldn't change any components? No upgrades, no alterations or customizations? Of course, that's just ridiculous because the PC platform has evolved into what it is.

 

I bought a router though, and I flashed it with custom firmware/DD-WRT so I could use it as a wireless bridge. Am I bad person, flameboy? Am I as bad as these hackers?

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Posted

I think hacking is perfectly fine as long as you don't release information that you know will cause a lot of piracy.

Posted
Yeah, but I thought chips were made about the same, but then have to be limited for the sake of stability. So they make them all the same, but due to manufacturing defects or whatever, some can't handle the full speed so are downgraded until they become stable. Once they are stable, they are just labelled as whatever they have been downgraded to and sold as such.

 

I could be wrong, hardware isn't my strong point.

 

You'd be right and wrong there. The manufacturing process is too efficient for all low-end chips to be broken high-end parts. The majority these days are just locked down. The larest example is the discovery that AMD's Athlon X2 5200+ (costs around £30) can be unlocked to use all 4 cores and the full amount of L3 cache. Intel have just done the sensible thing and decided to monetise these unlocks (their chips are more difficult to crack anyhow).

 

 

Sony to bring in serial keys with Blu-ray discs?

 

Pretty smart choice. It doesn't work very well with PC games, but considering the platform this will take quite a while to crack (if it ever does).

 

Interesting consequences for rental, borrowing and second hand games though.

 

Sounds like it will work much the same way as PC game DRM. It'll get cracked pretty quick, but will stop people with pirated copies playing online. Certainly makes piracy a lot less appealing for certain types of games.

Posted
think hacking is perfectly fine as long as you don't release information that you know will cause a lot of piracy
lmao

 

hacking is illegal period, it don't matter what you hack... I think if your caught you deserve whatever is thrown at ya... not saying i've never hacked anything nor am I saying I have, I just think that if your dumb enough to announce what you do then ya you run the risk of getting caught.

Posted
lmao

 

hacking is illegal period, it don't matter what you hack... I think if your caught you deserve whatever is thrown at ya... not saying i've never hacked anything nor am I saying I have, I just think that if your dumb enough to announce what you do then ya you run the risk of getting caught.

 

In the US it's perfectly legal.

 

In the EU and UK it really isn't specified - hacking devices for the purpose of pirating is illegal, but there is no law about the hacking of devices.

 

As far as I'm aware, it's perfectly legal for me to hack my phone, remove nonsense programs (like pre-installed games you have to pay extra for) and install a more stable/powerful ROM with more features. All it does is voids the warranty.

Posted

erm its pretty easy to remove unwanted apps/games from phones without hacking its firmware..

 

Its illegal to hack period, the only gray area i see is ur allowed to use a none cd fixe for pc games, and thats if you have the orginal cds.

Posted
I can't believe so many people are brainwashed into thinking hacking is evil etc.

 

Now as I said i'm no expert on this subject so feel free to rip my post apart if you know any better.

 

Im not gonna sit here and say hackers are evil. If anything they're impressively intelligent, particularly these guys.....

 

...which makes it that much more disappointing that they did it so recklessly, with little to no regard to Sony. You know, Sony, the company that gave birth to the machine these people are obsessing over. The company that employs hundreds of people to maintain the software and network that makes the machine worth owning.

 

What i can't believe is how much flack Sony is taking for not responding politely.

Posted
erm its pretty easy to remove unwanted apps/games from phones without hacking its firmware..

 

Not if the apps/games are in the system files.

 

In the EU it's stated that you are allowed to break the DRM if you own the game. In the UK it's even fuzzier.

 

The laws for hacking devices for personal use haven't really been looked at by the government (apart from the US, where they deemed it legal). The law just hasn't caught up to the technology (like how in the UK it's illegal to rip music from a CD and put it on your PC/mp3 player) - the laws will only be created to say that it's legal when a company tries to sue someone for hacking the firmware or ripping a CD. And when that occurs it'll simply be made legal.

Posted

This is a tough one for sony...

 

But I just feel like in the long term, people shouldn't be punished or threatened by these large companies. It doesn't seem to work. However offering consumers a better alternative will help massively.

 

Using the music industry as an example again. The itunes downloads are cheaper than normal buys and more convenient and no distribution required by companies. Customers are more LAZY than CHEAP I would think. It's all about convenience. There are Cd's STILL available too for those that prefer it.

 

I know it's inevitable eventually but you'd think gaming and movies would try this approach a lot faster. I know there are examples of each but it's not been pushed as much as it should be... We all know the future is going to be downloading and instant purchases.

Posted
erm actully its legal to rip music from cds as long as u have the orginal disks like the no cd fix thing.

 

Actually, in the UK it's still illegal to copy music from one format to another - it's a hang-on from the 80's when recording onto cassettes was seriously damaging the music industry. Today it's unenforced, but still there, and could be the basis of a fruitless-yet-expensive lawsuit.

 

Oh, and when I sweep to power, it'll be illegal to not utilise basic punctuation correctly or use spell checkers.

Posted

Although i'm not fond of digital downloads, I have to agree with mcj, digital downloads have already decressed the amount of hackers for music as its easy to get a hold off through itunes and various other sites like spotify..

 

games and movies need to push there digital download service faster because of this otherwise they'll find they'll be loosing out on profit.

Posted
Customers are more LAZY than CHEAP I would think. It's all about convenience.

 

This sums up media customers perfectly - as there's little/no difference in quality, it's all about ease of access.

 

There was an idea I spied a year or so ago on the front page of The Independent for a £15 per person per annum fee that would be distributed amongst all music/DVD/game production companies, and would make it legal to download previously illegal torrents in the UK if you paid. The charge might need to be slightly higher (maybe £30?), but I'm 99% certain people would use it. I know I would.

Posted

£15 a month for an idea like that and I'll be in there quicker than an N-E member clicking on a "Nude Thread" created by a female member.

Posted

I doubt they'll do it like that tbh, most decent torrent sites already put a charge for there services... I think it'd be nice if we had somthing like steam (without the bs having to have the program opem or limit the game to one account) for the consoles, I'd be happy then.

Posted
This sums up media customers perfectly - as there's little/no difference in quality, it's all about ease of access.

 

There was an idea I spied a year or so ago on the front page of The Independent for a £15 per person per annum fee that would be distributed amongst all music/DVD/game production companies, and would make it legal to download previously illegal torrents in the UK if you paid. The charge might need to be slightly higher (maybe £30?), but I'm 99% certain people would use it. I know I would.

 

I also think things like differing release dates need to be sorted for movies and especially videogames first but it sounds like a very good idea.

Posted
I also think things like differing release dates need to be sorted for movies and especially videogames first but it sounds like a very good idea.

I have one better, it'd be nice if they didn't have the release date for the DVD's so far away from the cinema release, they tried this with a few films last year and again ratio for piracy decressed.
Posted
Its illegal to hack period

 

No. It is perfectly legal.

 

Hacking into property that isn't yours or forceful access of anothers network is illegal. 'Hacking' a device you own is not.

Posted
I think it'd be nice if we had somthing like steam (without the bs having to have the program opem or limit the game to one account) for the consoles, I'd be happy then.

 

Like Xbox Live and PSN?

 

They've already started with full retail games. They just need to increase server capacity and release the games on the game they they're out in shops.

Posted

ahh yeah true, yeah they need to release some latest games, they already do in america, or atleast have alot more then the uk users do, same with there ps1 and ps2 stuff, we don't even have ps2 games on our network where as americas doo. which is really confusing.

Posted
Actually, in the UK it's still illegal to copy music from one format to another - it's a hang-on from the 80's when recording onto cassettes was seriously damaging the music industry. Today it's unenforced, but still there, and could be the basis of a fruitless-yet-expensive lawsuit.

 

Oh, and when I sweep to power, it'll be illegal to not utilise basic punctuation correctly or use spell checkers.

 

Got any links to info for that? Not to say I doubt you, but I do. I hear so many different things regarding the whole situations of piracy, backups, conversions/copying etc that I like to get something more evidential behind the claims.

Posted

I've always been told by many people (including police) its legal to make as many backups as you like just long as you don't give it out to other people, or earn a porfit from it.

Posted
I've always been told by many people (including police) its legal to make as many backups as you like just long as you don't give it out to other people, or earn a porfit from it.

 

Yes. Backups are completely fine. You can create as many .iso copies of CDs as you please. The problem lies in modifying the files (i.e. converting them into .mp3).

 

It is simply a case that the law hasn't caught up to the technology yet and, as everybody knows that the law will simply be changed if they try to get someone done for it, the law doesn't get looked at.

Posted

yeah, but i think they mainly look at guys making large profit from making copies... I don't think its an issue about being able to rip music to your computer or microsoft themselves wouldn't have the rip feature built in its Windows Media Player.

Posted
yeah, but i think they mainly look at guys making large profit from making copies... I don't think its an issue about being able to rip music to your computer or microsoft themselves wouldn't have the rip feature built in its Windows Media Player.

 

That and the old problem that some of the major record labels are a section of a company that has another section manufacturing and selling our CD-R's.

 

The PSP community is now receiving it's first wave of signed homebrew, which makes the process to boot homebrew on my 3000 series a lot easier. I don't want the custom firmware other wise I'm not allowed to play my copy of Phantasy Star Portable 2 online ¬__¬


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