There's about a hundred thousand pirates that tried and failed to log onto the Demigod servers that probably cared about DRM. DRM is not just copy protection - the annoying shit like Starforce is, but even needing serial numbers and valid log-ins to use the servers are forms of DRM. Some people object to even that, and yes, I will call those people pirates. There is no other reason to want even trivial protections like serial numbers removed.
There is no other justification needed for restricting server access to keys than simple property laws. The server is physical property, controlled access to it has nothing to do with DRM.
That would be an interesting debate, but one I'd rather not get into, seeing as I agree with you. Arguably, access to the server is sold with the game, so any restrictions could be seen as unreasonable. But that assumes the game is sold at all, which we know not to be the case (but of course people argue about that as well).
Willy, Woca, did you even read all of my post. I said I wasn't trying to troll, and I'm not.
I dont understand why you like DRM. It's not a good thing. I just dont want Stardock to lose its anti DRM stance. I'm also worried about GOO being invasive and ineffective.
Trying and being are two entirely different things. I know damn well most people see my posts in this topic as trolling, even though I'm not particularly trying to be a troll. Quite frankly, there is no way to express an opinion on a topic like this without someone else feeling trolled by it. It's the techie's equivalent to an abortion argument.
As to why I like DRM - I don't like most forms. Starforce is idiocy of the highest order, for much the reason psychoak stated. Lesser forms, such as serials, serve the purpose of preventing unauthorized copies from having the same full access to aftermarket updates and online features as legal copies. I see this as a "line in the sand"; giving way here, on any publisher's part, is simply an open invitation for leaches (how's that for a replacement term for pirate?) to insist others do the same.
Part of this is an optimist/pessimist split. I'm pessimistic enough to know that, given the choice, most people won't pay for something if a perfectly functional free copy is available. Look at public television in the US. What percent of the population support it financially, as opposed to the percent that watch it without supporting it? It's a donation not a requirement, and most people simply don't donate. That is the model I wish to avoid.
The backlash against piracy started about 10 years too late to actually do anything about curbing it. As can be seen in this topic and others, it's too far into the public consciousness that piracy isn't wrong. In the next 20 years or so, the people who grew up pirating without batting an eye will be outvoting those who didn't.
