Spore and iPhone/iPod/iCrap

I can't help but see similarities between the latest PC Game fiasco Spore and any flavour of "i"Anything from Apple.

Spore has come packaged with a terrible DRM application called SecuROM. In a draconian measure, EA (Electronic Arts), the publishers of the game, forced this app on unsuspecting users - that is, nowhere on the box does it say this crap will be installed along with the game. Among other things SecuROM enforces a 3-install limit...which means if you rebuild your machine, you have used up an "install". If you rebuild your machine (or add a harddrive), you have used up an install. After the third time, you will be forced to call EA to plead with them to get another install key. Fun, eh? The idea was this was supposed to end/limit piracy. Laughably, the game was available, DRM free, almost a week before the game hit the shelves.

People have reacted to the DRM and have given Spore a terrible rating on Amazon.

I won't ever install a game onto my PC with this kind of crapware on it. Ever. I will pirate a game first. I hate doing that, since it doesn't support the developers, but I will not cripple my PC with that shit.


How does all that relate to iCrap from Apple? Well, what would you say if I told you that I created an MP3 player that needs propietary software to load music onto it. That this software, while residing on your PC, will take up resources even if you are not using the device and there is nothing you can do about it short of uninstalling the whole application? Would you buy that? Well, if you own any piece of iCrap, you have. I bought my son an LG MP3 player. You plug it into a USB port and it pops up like a removable drive. That's it. Copy the files over and voila. Done.

iCrap is like DRM. Anything that makes your PC more difficult to use is something you should avoid. Anything that requires some convoluted method to get to work, is something that should never have been created.

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