Gather ’round, children, and let me tell you a story about the old bugaboo we used to call DRM. Digital Rights Management was the beast under every gamer’s bed in the mid-2000s, an invisible bit of software baked into game discs that dictated and tracked player behavior under the guise of preventing piracy. DRM software, like SecuROM, limited the times a game could be downloaded and forced players to regularly connect to the internet for authentication checks, at a time when less than half of American adults had reliable broadband connections. DRM features soured the releases of BioShock, Mass Effect and Spore, and by 2010, anti-piracy software had rendered Assassin’s Creed 2 and Splinter-Cell: Conviction unplayable. When Microsoft attempted to release the Xbox One with always-on DRM features in 2013, intense vitriol from fans forced the company to reverse its plans at the 11th hour. There were lawsuits. DRM was a curse word. Meanwhile, Valve was building out Steam. When it landed in 2003, the digital PC storefront was designed to streamline the patch process for games like Counter-Strike and make it easier for Valve to implement anti-piracy and anti-cheat measures. Steam was made to be a DRM machine. In 2004, with the release of Half-Life 2, Valve made Steam a requirement for every player, and even those who’d purchased new, physical copies of the game had to boot up the launcher first. There was some low-level grumbling, but PC players were used to being lab rats, and... Continue reading at 'Engadget'
[ Engadget | 2024-03-04 16:30:21 UTC ]
Both the United States-based Rakuten OverDrive and the UK-based Nielsen Book are named today as new partners for CILIP in Libraries Week 2019. The post Nielsen Book and Rakuten OverDrive Named Supporters of the UK’s Libraries Week appeared first on Publishing Perspectives. Continue reading at Publishing Perspectives
[ Publishing Perspectives | 2019-07-17 08:10:12 UTC ]
More news stories like this
Nielsen Book has joined forces with library and information association CILIP to sponsor its reading campaign alongside National Libraries Week in a new two-year partnership. Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2019-07-16 17:15:51 UTC ]
More news stories like this
In his op-ed for Forbes last year, Panos Mourdoukoutas, a professor of economics at LIU Post in New York, suggested that Amazon stores should replace libraries to save taxpayers money. Following the backlash this preposterous suggestion created, Forbes took the article down. But the outpouring... Continue reading at Literrary Hub
[ Literrary Hub | 2019-07-12 08:48:09 UTC ]
More news stories like this
A coalition of some 44 public libraries across Washington state is organizing a six-month boycott of Blackstone Publishing's digital audiobooks after the publisher announced last month that it would withhold new release audio titles from libraries for 90 days. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly
[ Publishers Weekly | 2019-07-12 04:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this
The digital content market for libraries is about to get even more unsettled; Elsevier cuts off researchers at the University of California; and librarians gear up for the 2020 census. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly
[ Publishers Weekly | 2019-07-12 04:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this
A National Libraries Conference, due to take place later this month, aims to ensure the service’s “continued survival” in a digital age, organisers say. Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2019-07-11 05:47:50 UTC ]
More news stories like this
From oldest to largest, most popular to smallest, explore the planet and update your travel plans with this list of the best libraries in the world. Continue reading at Book Riot
[ Book Riot | 2019-07-10 10:39:02 UTC ]
More news stories like this
Essex County Council has announced it is ditching plans to close its libraries and their future is secure for the next five years following a huge community campaign, supported by authors including David Walliams and Jacqueline Wilson. Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2019-07-09 00:31:48 UTC ]
More news stories like this
Library campaigners are calling on Essex County Council to launch a new consultation on the future of its libraries in a new bid to save the services. Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2019-07-08 10:24:45 UTC ]
More news stories like this
Critical Linking, a daily roundup of the most interesting bookish links from around the web, is sponsored by Book Riot’s ... Continue reading at Book Riot
[ Book Riot | 2019-07-07 10:30:45 UTC ]
More news stories like this
A movement supported by nonprofit groups and libraries is creating literary spaces in places where children find themselves with time on their hands. Continue reading at The New York Times
[ The New York Times | 2019-07-02 09:00:13 UTC ]
More news stories like this
Microsoft has closed its ebook store—and will soon make their customers' libraries disappear along with it. Continue reading at Wired
[ Wired | 2019-06-30 11:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this
Brand offers financial support to help restore parks, libraries and leisure centres. Continue reading at Media Week
[ Media Week | 2019-06-28 09:22:56 UTC ]
More news stories like this
An agreement between publisher Springer Nature and Sweden's Bibsam consortium - made up of institutional libraries and funders - will see the two share the costs of publishing in Springer Nature's Open Access journals. Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2019-06-27 01:33:22 UTC ]
More news stories like this
Writers say a lack of funding and cuts to libraries mean children from disadvantaged backgrounds are missing out when it comes to school visits, after a new report shows that independent schools are far more likely to have welcomed an author in the past year than state schools. Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2019-06-26 04:33:29 UTC ]
More news stories like this
The libraries cited unsustainable costs in ending the service. Cinephiles took to social media with their reactions. Continue reading at The New York Times
[ The New York Times | 2019-06-24 23:21:19 UTC ]
More news stories like this
As she celebrates a series of career milestones—which coincide with the 20th anniversary of her publisher, Dafina Books—the author starts a new chapter by revisiting classic characters in the long-awaited sequel to her first novel, My Brother’s Keeper. (Sponsored) Continue reading at Publishers Weekly
[ Publishers Weekly | 2019-06-24 04:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this
Reynolds earned a standing ovation for an intensely personal keynote that touched on family, religion, his closest friends and relationships, the power of narrative, and the central, “sacred” role libraries play in people’s lives. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly
[ Publishers Weekly | 2019-06-22 04:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this
Among the week's headlines: the 2019 ALA Annual Conference kicks off in Washington DC; Librarians cry foul over Hachette's new digital terms for libraries; and the DPLA wins a major grant. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly
[ Publishers Weekly | 2019-06-21 04:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this
In Weare, New Hampshire, a small town about 45 minutes from the state’s southern border with Massachusetts, the local newspaper Continue reading at Editor & Publisher
[ Editor & Publisher | 2019-06-20 19:15:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this