The DRM timebomb

[Rockin Robbins]

A couple of things:

• I don't recommend sharing a single hard drive with dual boot. Gets in the way of Windows restoration programs. What you should do is install Linux on a completely separate hard drive and set your computer to boot to it. Linux will automatically install GRUB (GRand Unified Bootloader) which will automatically find Windows and put it in as a boot menu selection. The advantage of this is that your Windows install disk is entirely untouched and unmodified. Windows hates Linux and does anything possible to block it from usefulness on your machine.
• If you are just starting out with Linux, I'd start with an Ubuntu derivative: Ubuntu, Kubuntu, Lubuntu, Mint, Elementary OS, OzOs, Peppermint Linux, Linux Lite, you can get a more exhaustive list at https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Catego...m)_derivatives
• Remember, the more popular a derivative is the more help you can get. In practice you can go to the Ask Ubuntu or Ubuntu Forums and any advice you get there will apply to all the derivatives. Most of them have their own community help forums. The support is MUCH better than anything Microsoft provides.
• With Linux, you can avoid the DRM time bomb, which will first injure the customers of the companies that use DRM as the hammer, then the bomb will destroy the companies themselves. That means Microsoft, HP and other companies that are using the DMCA "hammer" are self-limiting. When they go their customers' property becomes unusable and worthless. Identify and avoid these companies (can you say Sony?) immediately. Consider any money paid to these companies a vote for the end of property ownership. Also consider that money wasted.
• I run Silent Hunter 4 with GFO, Borderlands 2, Counterstrike GO, Kerbal Space Program, Counterstrike Source, Kyodai Mah Jong, Firefox, Microsoft Office 2003, Thunderbird (Get rid of Outlook or Outlook express! This is better). I haven't tried Photoshop. Gaming is already great on Linux and Steam will make it much better.
• Linux is free. All software in Linux repositories are free. Commercial software is available if you want it. As compnies find that Windows 10 cannot be made secure because of unknown, encrypted data dumps to Microsoft servers for unknown purposes twice daily, business software will also migrate away from the evil empire. Linux is free from spyware, adware and malware. It isn't totally immune from outside sources of all three but it is much more resistant than Windows.

After Fall of the Rising Sun Ultimate Edition is published I look forward to cooperating with Skybird, Commander Wallace and others to make a "Get acquainted with Linux" thread.



Look: there's no reason to be intimidated by an alternate operating system any more. You probably already use Android or iOS. Windows tried to take over the cell phone market and snatched an awesome 3% of the market over three years. What does that tell you about being afraid of non-Windows OSes? People already love 'em! In a freely competitive market Windows loses 3-97. That's something of a landslide, isn't it?

Fall of the Rising Sun Ultimate Edition will be the very first Silent Hunter 4 mod put together on a Linux machine. Not only will you be able to play SH4 on a Linux machine but mod SH4 there and publish the mods from there, which will work on Windows machines also. I'm doing my part to ensure the Sun falls on Microsoft, HP, Sony and any other company which tries to build prosperity upon intimidating people with the DMCA and simlar thuggish acts.