Thursday, March 23, 2006

Miscellanea

The man suing the Free Software Foundation using anti-trust legislation has lost. Turns out that RMS isn't an exploiting monopolist after all. Who'd a thunk. Speaking of RMS, is he going soft on his previously tough stand against natalism?

There are 99 days until the new EU directive on poisonous materials in computer equipment come into force. That's the good news. The bad news is that it looks like flat screens are still going to be exempt. So those lovely, slick power-saving monitors are probably going to be filled with poison for a while yet. Still, there are screens coming on the market that comply with RoHC, and there are developments that suggest that the exemption won't be needed for long. Lets hope it doesn't last any longer than the manufacturers need to switch to more environmentally friendly materials and get rid of their stocks of heavy-metal-laced flat screens.

And while we are at The Inq I might as well mention that they have had yet another of their rumours confimed. It seems that the PS3 will be region free for games. Now if the film industry would get a clue and get rid of regions for DVDs too, they'd be doing themselves and their customers a favour. It's a poor advert for DRM when the main currently known use of it is so arbitrary, pointless, ineffective and annoying.

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