The age of digital music distribution is upon us. Just in the past couple of weeks we have seen the introduction of Apple's iTunes download service and RealNetwork's Rhapsody subscription service. Adding to the buzz, Microsoft has announced new upgrades to its DRM system that will allow subscription services to better protect media that is loaded onto handheld and portable devices. In a series of three articles, CNET explores these announcements and what it might mean for the present and future of music distribution [CNET].

I tried the Rhapsody service this week and I was very impressed. For $10 per month, Rhapsody gives you access to over three-hundred thousand music tracks. The selection was great even given my less than mainstream tastes. However, there were some notable omissions. It will take a while for the licensing to catch up with the services. The biggest question, however, is will consumers use these services? I think they will, but it may take some time before the public is fully educated about why digital distribution is good for them. 3:47:21 PM    comment []  

"What is notable about the success of iTunes is that it has been achieved not by a music company but by a computer company. And this makes sense, because it was a computer solution that was needed, not a music one. Even more impressive is that Apple's coup has been accomplished relatively simply and cheaply. It owns nearly everything it is using: the Web browser software (Safari), the computer media player (iTunes), the portable digital music player (iPod), the streaming technology to play music videos (Quicktime), the software that creates the service (WebObjects), the computer itself (Macintosh) and the operating system (MacOS)" [New York Times][via Scott Loftesness]. 11:25:58 AM    comment []  

The more we learn about weather patterns and global warming, the more we learn how little we understand the problem. New research suggests localized temperature increases in the U.S. and possibly elsewhere is due, not to CO₂, but to irrigation and concrete [Nature]. 11:02:36 AM    comment []  

WASTE is a new secure P2P system being developed under the GPL by Nullsoft [Slashdot].

WASTE is designed to enable small companies and small teams within larger companies to easily communicate and collaborate in a secure and efficient fashion, independent of physical network topology [Waste].

P2P clients like Gaim, Trillian and the like are already being used to share huge volumes of files. Making the connections secure will make this type of trading less accessible to prosecution by the RIAA and its ilk. 10:44:21 AM    comment []  

There's a new book out on using the OSS Snort program for intrusion detection versus commercial systems [Slashdot]. 10:36:47 AM    comment []  

Governments are getting more and more involved in the OSS vs. Proprietary debate.

I am sure this is a first. The President of India has urged Indian IT Professionals to develop and specialise in OSS rather than Windows. To be noted is that he made the speech (look for the "Think Different" section) at the famous Indian Institute of Information Technology (India's foremost academic institution equivalent to MIT). Also he reminisces that his meeting with Mr.Gates were difficult due to differing views concerning OSS and Security. What should be noted about him is that he is not a politician, but a scientist and an independent thinker foremost [Slashdot].

Smart people around the world are starting to think about software. The dialog has been primarily maintained by the technical community in the past, but input from the non-technical world is going to be telling in the overall debate. Ultimately, whether OSS thrives or is maintained in a limited niche will depend largely on how the debate continues in the non-technical community. 10:32:26 AM    comment []