I just ran across this CNET article about how DRM is going to be incorporated into the next version of MS Office. Great. Yes, I recognize that document security is a HUGE issue that needs to be dealt with and yes I know that using these tools in Office will be optional, but this strikes me as anti-competitive and yet another Microsoft grab for the wallet. Not only will it require an installation of Office, but also Windows 2003 Server and some proprietary Rights managment software. Sheesh.

More than anything else "digital rights" drove me to Linux. Yes, a manufacturer has rights to their product, but they don't have the right to mess with my hardware or data. I'm just waiting for the day Microsoft announces that you have to get an activation code from them to access your own data.


End of vent.

Kind of interesting this part of the article:
So you have the document but you have to log into a server to view it... Let's just say I wouldn't put all my company secrets in a document and send it anywhere even with a server they have to validate to...

Its pretty obvious what they are trying to do. Samba has made their server products completly useless and waay overpriced. So their server has to do something that samba + linux wont. violla, DRM

It seems microshaft is inching towards their ultimate goal: to make users pay a monthly or annual fee to use their products, even after the user has already BOUGHT the software!

Again.....Microsoft sucks! I'm so tired of their BS. Dang....I only wish I could convert all the Windows servers to Linux overnight