So-called hackers: please grow up

Kierant: We ran a story, Wednesday, on SDMI's open challenge to hackers to break its new music codes with the incentive of $10,000 for anyone that did. Yes, it was a PR stunt but it was a pretty good one. And a bloody big gamble.

What if its codes are torn to pieces - where on earth could it go from there? On the other hand, pull it off and you'd have to give it some grudging respect. We got into our comfy chair, opened a cold beer and prepared to watch battle commence.

But soon after, with sad predictability, people start putting themselves forward as hacker spokespeople, dissing the whole thing with lame macho talk. "Yeah I'm not going to do it man, they're taking the piss. My skills are worth far more than $10,000. It's just a PR stunt." Childish.

And our favourite: "Let's boycott it man." Boycott what, you idiots? Will not trying to hack the codes have any effect on what SDMI does? No, it won't. If you don't want to get involved, you're boycotting SDMI as much as we are boycotting the fitness centre over the road.

(Most of the comments can be found at this Linux journal piece.)

Look, this is a stand up and be counted moment. SDMI has picked a fight. You either stand up to it or you just walk away. But don't walk away talking about how hard you are. No one likes people who make excuses as to why they failed to protect their mate when it kicked off.

We say get stuck in. If SDMI's codes are ripped to threads it would be a sweet victory to all those that talk so passionately about MP3s and the Internet's freedom. If you fail, you'd have learnt a good lesson in life: how to be humbled. But save us this macho posturing. ®

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Related Link

Linux journal piece
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