Heres what I sent on that comments/question page:
I have read arguments for and against TCPA and my current opinion is that I wouldn't mind it if I could turn it off. I do not wish to have these features but it doesnt look like THAT bad of an idea.
However as many of the arguments say, this does enable Microsoft to introduce digital rights management manuevers, which I am completely against. I will never buy, as will anybody i know, a Palladium based PC because I do not trust Microsoft to follow through with some of their promises, like making the Palladium platform open, and offering a way to turn off Palladium features.
The reason I don't find TCPA important in my life is because I am as secure as I need to be right now. I run Slackware Linux 8.1 and have absolutely no concern about getting a virus or being hacked by malicious users. For Windows I can understand this is important because Microsoft doesn't know how to make secure software.
I would not be in favor nor be against purchasing a TCPA only enabled computer (that is one without Palladium or another DRM platform) provided that turning it off is easy and turning it off turns EVERYTHING off.
The only thing that concerns me about TCPA is the fact that it makes Microsoft's road to condemning my freedom easier.
/////////////////////////////
hopefully MS will be stupid and they will make Palladium dependent on the TCPA chip, so that I can turn off the TCPA chip and Palladium wont work. Not likely tho, they will probably make an independant chip that cant be turned off and is embedded into the processor and it monitors packets going through the network card and everything, so that using any OS will still be under Microsofts grip.
[edit: im speaking of the hardware part of palladium]
[ February 18, 2003: Message edited by: Solo ]