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73 of 76 people found the following review helpful:
1.0 out of 5 stars
Don't play this on your PC!, November 6, 2005
With all due respect to the reviewers who don't think that the copy protection is an issue, they are missing the point.
For the record, I have no problem with artists and record companies who wish to protect their intellectual property. At issue here is the technological means employed by Sony.
When you play Sony's CDs on your computer, "rootkit" software is installed. It enforces the copy protection by intercepting all communication to and from the CD drive. Although not a virus in itself (it won't attempt to spread itself to other machines), it employs many of the same techniques used by viruses, to make it next to impossible to detect and remove. This software has many unfortunate side effects, including the potential to crash your computer, the creation of a backdoor for other viruses (any file or registry key beginning with certain characters is hidden from the operating system), and a small but continuous drain on your computer's processing power - even when you aren't listening to music.
In response to criticism, Sony has released a patch. But this patch only mitigates the problem of the virus-hiding potential. The software remains nearly impossible to remove. Incorrect attempts to remove it can render your CD drive unusable.
If you like Gray's music, and if the CD will play on your home stereo, then have at it. But if your intention is to play it on your computer, then I'm afraid that the only safe way to do so is to create or obtain a copy that illegally circumvents the copy protection.
for further information, search for "sory rootkit" on the sysinternals website.
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50 of 52 people found the following review helpful:
1.0 out of 5 stars
Be careful. This CD has a "rootkit" that will mess your PC, November 7, 2005
DO NOT, I repeat, DO NOT play this on a PC. It will install a "rootkit" (similar to a virus) on your PC. This is impossible to remove and a backdoor to other viruses. This is a serious security threat to your PC function and your privacy (this software "phones home" every time you listen to the cd, reporting your IP address).
I would recomment not buying it, if you really like this music, listen to it on the radio instead...
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33 of 33 people found the following review helpful:
1.0 out of 5 stars
What a shame, October 10, 2005
David Gray, being one of my very favorite artists ever, finally comes along with some new and wonderful material and it is, sadly, in this abusive (to the honest consumer) copy-protected format. I have paid so much money over the years for the huge number of CDs I own (legally) and I bet, in that respect, that I represent a majority of music fans: we're honest and we're willing to pay for our music. Owning it should include the right to use it freely on our PCs, Macs, iPods, and anything else for the rest of our lives. Oh yeah, and without infecting our computers with stealthy sabotage software.
When I understand how little money the artists actually earn from album sales, I realize that this fight over copyright is entirely about the pocket-lining of parasitic A&R people and all the no-talent scum that control the industry (like the very people who blew off David Gray earlier in his career because one of his albums didn't meet "sales expectations").
I hope this most recent move is the beginning of the end for the music industry as we've known it. I'm cutting them off just like I did with Microsoft when they started treating me like a pirate even though I own everything of theirs that I've ever used. (Three cheers for Newton's third law bringing us the Open Source movement!)
Someday I hope that all artists operate their own web sites and we can somehow buy direct from them. Let's cut the dirt out of the loop. We've seen enough on how the record companies feel about us and about the artists. For my money, they add NOTHING OF VALUE to the equation.
Music: 5 stars
CD: 1 Star
Record company execs: Lower than dirt.
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