Sony Recognizes That Openness Is A Competitive Advantage

from the finally dept

Fri, Aug 14th 2009 5:50am — Mike Masnick

It may have taken the (very) long way to get there, but it looks like at least some folks over at Sony have figured out that openness can be a competitive advantage, and have decided to support the open ePub ebook format for its ebook reader. Now, there are lots of caveats here. Amazon has effectively been able to capture the leadership position in this market, while Sony has languished, so partly this is a hail mary pass -- which we've seen happen elsewhere as well. And, of course, despite it being an open format and the fact that Sony is ditching its own DRM, the new format will still have Adobe DRM -- so this isn't a truly opened up solution, but it is a step. It may be difficult for Sony to recapture the lead in this market by this point, but it seems like that the open ebook platforms will only gain steam (and eventually Amazon will end up supporting it as well). It's the natural progression that we see over and over again: a closed platform may help define the market, and then weaker competitors often circle around an open platform, realizing it's their only chance to fight back against the lock-in of the market leader. While it often takes some time, the open platforms do tend to get better and better, even to the point that the original leader is eventually forced to adopt it as well.

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Filed Under: drm, ebooks, openness
Companies: sony

43 Comments

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Grant Woodward, 14 Aug 2009 @ 6:21am

I will say that I think the Kindle took a big hit from Amazon's 'Orwellian' error - I know it kept me from buying one. While I'm not entirely certain I'd use Sony's product either (just because I'm not entirely sold on the ebook reader as a standalone, specialized device compared to a netbook) I'll at least give it a look-see. Not so for the Kindle at this point.
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Addison, 14 Aug 2009 @ 6:33am

Mike Masnick Makes A Fool Of Himself
"It may have taken the (very) long way to get there"

What an idiot.

Let's see...

For almost three years now everyone who is lucky enough to own a Sony PS3:

* Let's you easily install any off the shelf laptop drive - no over priced proprietary harddrives like some other company forces you to

* Let's you easily install a completely open source OS on your PS3 and run any Linux/open source software on the system

* Has the gold standard for console online systems that is similar to the open and developer friendly PC gaming online world

But hey! Some random fanboy is running his mouth off and making himself look like a fool.

Way to Mikey!
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dataGuy, 14 Aug 2009 @ 6:51am

It's still Sony to me
I have not forgotten their rootkit and I have no intention of cutting Sony ANY slack.
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some old guy, 14 Aug 2009 @ 6:55am

Re: Mike Masnick Makes A Fool Of Himself
ITT: Sony Fanboy going apeshit incoherent due to someone saying something bad (actually good, but not good enough for the sony fanboy).

Console fanboys are a scary bunch. They are so incredibly deluded because they have to be in order to justify the absurd overpricing of the entire video game market.

The funniest thing about console fanboys? They think exclusivity deals are pro-consumer. What a bunch of flaming morons.
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Marcus Carab (profile), 14 Aug 2009 @ 6:59am

The day there is a fully-open, DRM-free eBook reader that supports a variety of formats (including autoformatting for text files), along with a built-in Gutenberg search, will be the day I finally buy an eBook reader.
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Steven (profile), 14 Aug 2009 @ 7:10am

Re: Mike Masnick Makes A Fool Of Himself
Just on one point. 'Let's you easily install a completely open source OS on your PS3 and run any Linux/open source software on the system'

Sony doesn't 'let you', they didn't make it 'easily' installable, and in fact they didn't help the effort at all. The ability to run Linux on the PS3 is purely due to some very skilled Linux hackers that took the time and effort to reverse engineer a way to install other software on the PS3. Sony gets NO credit for that.

Although even after all that effort it's not incredibly useful, the performance is pretty bad.

The rest of course is all questionable fanboi crap.
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diabolic (profile), 14 Aug 2009 @ 7:15am

Re: It's still Sony to me
Totally agree here. Sony makes bad decisions and poor quality products that they do not stand behind. Sony is a brand I do not even consider.
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Anonymous Coward, 14 Aug 2009 @ 7:16am

Re: Mike Masnick Makes A Fool Of Himself
I'm sure you are happy with your ps3 and all 2 games.
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Addison, 14 Aug 2009 @ 7:19am

Little Stevie
Steven,

LOL! Congrats dimwit, you just make yourself look a total idiot.

"Boot Other OS" is right there is the damn PS3 XMB System Menu you pathetic little fanboy! Yellow Dog Linux was the distro Sony worked with and since then many other distros are now supported.

What a loser!

Little Stevie, time for you to shut up.
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Addison, 14 Aug 2009 @ 7:23am

Re: Re: Mike Masnick Makes A Fool Of Himself
Awww! Poor liddle Xbot!

Let's see loser:

Sony: 20 first party development studios cranking out PS3 games

Nintendo: 10 first party dev studios

Microsoft: 3 first party dev studios - LOL!

Poor baby! Over 5 times as many developers putting out exclusives for the PS3 this. But, hey!, the RRoDbox does have a whole bunch of crappy downgraded PC ports to fill out the joke games lineup!
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Addison, 14 Aug 2009 @ 7:27am

Re: Re: Mike Masnick Makes A Fool Of Himself
Wow, even with a couple dimwitted losers dumb enough to buy the worst console ever created, the Xbox 360, you still managed to not only being the dumbest person posting on this story, you also sound like a complete nutcase.
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minijedimaster (profile), 14 Aug 2009 @ 7:27am

Re: Mike Masnick Makes A Fool Of Himself
Has the gold standard for console online systems that is similar to the open and developer friendly PC gaming online world
LMAO! Yea that's why the PS3 is in LAST place by far for console sales. Moron. Plus, everything ^he^ said... +1
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minijedimaster (profile), 14 Aug 2009 @ 7:31am

Re: Little Stevie
Time to stop feeding the troll.
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Addison, 14 Aug 2009 @ 7:34am

Re: Re: Mike Masnick Makes A Fool Of Himself
Awww! Another liddle Xbot!

I bet you just love your fake vgcharz sales numbers!

The PS3 is the third fastest selling console in history.

Does that make you cry? Poor baby!

Fastest selling consoles in history:

1. PS2
2. Wii
3. PS3

So much for 'captializing on the one year 'head start'' for Microsoft and its POS RRoDbox...

Sony already kicked the 360 into last place in both Japan and Europe. Only one more region to go...

No wonder Microsoft has thrown in the towel and is giving up trying to compete with Sony and has been closing down their first party console studios and aren't giving up on trying create new Xbox hardware.

But hey! Slapping a ripoff of Sony's EyeToy style motion controls on old Xbox 360 hardware is gonna be a HUGE HIT!

LOL!
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MCS, 14 Aug 2009 @ 7:44am

Re: Re: Re: Addison Makes A Fool Of Himself
Stop hijacking the topic you stupid troll.

This article is not debating video game consoles...idiot. None of the points you make have anything to do with DIGITAL rights management. Get your head out of your ass or go away.
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Anonymous Coward, 14 Aug 2009 @ 7:50am

less we forget SECUROM,

FAWK SONY!
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Addison, 14 Aug 2009 @ 7:51am

Re: Re: Re: Re: Addison Makes A Fool Of Himself
Do everyone a favor and stop trolling, k? You obviously have nothing to add of any value.

Go play on some other site.
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Addison, 14 Aug 2009 @ 8:08am

Re: Re: Little Stevie
Poor liddle Xbots...

Let's just do a little 'openness' comparison:

Sony:

> Any off the cheap shelf laptop harddrive can be used to upgrade the PS3

> Free online networking with lagfree dedicated servers just like the open PC gaming

> Standard webbrowser included with every PS3

> Any OS can be easily installed and run on the PS3. Full support for it is right in the PS3 formatting tools and system menu

> Graphics - developers can use the industry standard OpenGL to access the PS3 graphics hardware that runs on every platform on the market Windows,Linux,Mac,iPhones,Android,etc.

> Any off the shelf keyboard and mouse can be used with the system

Microsoft:

> Only proprietary and overpriced Microsoft drives can be used.

> 50 dollar a year laggy P2P gaming that is locked down by Microsoft and hostile to developers who want to provide free content and mods like they are able to easily do with the PC and PS3

> No webbrowser - all network access is only through Microsoft proprietary communication

> Locked down hardware that is only runs the proprietary Microsoft Xbox OS

> Developers are only able to use Microsoft's proprietary directx APIs that no one but they use

> Keyboard and mouse support is locked out by Microsoft

So, not only is Microsoft getting utterly humiliated graphically by Sony's PS3 this gen, it is being done so by the most open console ever created.
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techflaws.org (profile), 14 Aug 2009 @ 8:22am

get lost, fanboy
Right back at ya.
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sehlat (profile), 14 Aug 2009 @ 8:29am

"Open" DRM, too!
A Fair Use(tm) quotation from the New York Times article (http://www.nytimes.com/2009/08/13/technology/internet/13reader.html?_r=1)

Sony will also scrap its proprietary anticopying software in favor of technology from the software maker Adobe that restricts how often e-books can be shared or copied.

It's still the same old Sony. "We own your stuff, not the other way around."
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Addison, 14 Aug 2009 @ 8:32am

Re: "Open" DRM, too!
What an idiot.
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Anonymous Coward, 14 Aug 2009 @ 8:52am

A real comment that's actually on point..
Did Sony learn nothing from the Betamax debacle? Betamax was a superior technology to VHS, but since only Sony was making Betamax and EVERYONE ELSE was making VHS, competition drove the price of VHS so low that NO ONE bought Betamax and now it's an obscure memory very few of us have of days gone by.

Apparently they learned nothing from Apple/Mac, either. In the early days of PC's, Macintosh was a much better computer than IBM's: Macs had a GUI on a full color screen, it had GUI's partner the mouse, and also music. The PC had NONE of those things. But, then IBM (basically scrapping their patents, but saving their business) said, "If you want to make a PC like ours, here's EXACTLY how you do it." Then, like with Betamax and VHS, competition drove down the price of an "IBM clone" and now there are FAR more IBM clones than there are Macs on the market today and at a much lower price.
I guess those who fail to learn from history are doomed to repeat it!
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Abno, 14 Aug 2009 @ 8:55am

PS3
PS3 is a good example of Sony being more open, and a lot of that came from Ken Kutaragi who pushed for PS3 to use as many open standards as possible.

With their gaming and electronics becoming more open, hopefully the Sony Music and Sony Pictures divisions will start to modernize their business models a little more too.

But seriously, this doesn't need to turn into a PS3 vs 360 debate, they're both good consoles with a lot to offer.
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Dark Helmet (profile), 14 Aug 2009 @ 9:04am

Attention console war participants
Real men/women game on their PCs.

That is all.
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MCS, 14 Aug 2009 @ 9:05am

Re: PS3
How open is PS3 in regards to DRM?

I have seen all the listed open HARDWARE examples, but that really never has been an issue debated (at least not on techdirt).

Ever try to back up your PS3 games? I haven't, but I am curious as to what DRM may prevent this.
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Abno, 14 Aug 2009 @ 9:31am

Re: Re: PS3
It depends, the movies in their video store (which I can't even access since I'm Canadian) seem to be pretty locked down with DRM still, but that seems to be the choice of the movies studios.

The games seem pretty open with their DRM though. You can download them on up to 5 machines through your psn account(with the exception of a couple games like Warhawk and Gran Turismo 5 Prologue). I've never tried to back them up, but I think you can download them an unlimited amount of times since it's connected to your psn account.
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some old guy, 14 Aug 2009 @ 10:13am

Re: Attention console war participants
No platform is deserving of fanboyism. Each platform strives for exclusivity, which rapes the consumers.

No consumer should accept that. Fanboys beg for it tho.

/boggle
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Anonymous Coward, 14 Aug 2009 @ 10:21am

While Addison's hostile demeanor quickly throws off the credibility of his statements he does make a few factual points. The PS3 was designed to allow the user to run Linux from very early in it's development cycle. I would argue that the free game development SDK on the Xbox 360 does seem to be more open and indie developer friendly then the offerings of the Wii (my personal favorite console) and the PS3.

This isn't taking into account that I'm a very amateur XBLA game developer of course. ;)

Sony's attempt to adopt an open standard does seem to be a bit of a "hail mary" play with the inclusion of a DRM system and not a broader move to open standards in general. Ironically if you search for "Sony Open Standards" in google will bring up Many results about this their ebook reader... but not much else.
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Dark Helmet (profile), 14 Aug 2009 @ 10:44am

Re: Re: Attention console war participants
Agreed. The idea that I had to buy both a PS2 in order to play FFX AND an Xbox to play Deus Ex: Invisible War was just plain stupid, and I will not be doing anything so foolish again.
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Lacuna, 14 Aug 2009 @ 11:36am

Re: Re: PS3
"Ever try to back up your PS3 games?"

Yes, along with millions of other PS3 owners.

Backing up your saves is built right into the PS3 system software. Just hook up any USB drive to your PS3 and it is trivial to back and restore your game saves.

Please stop spreading lies.
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Lacuna, 14 Aug 2009 @ 11:42am

Re: Re: Mike Masnick Makes A Fool Of Himself
It is both sad and funny that there are still kids who are that delusional.

The PS3 is outpacing the 360 by some 4 or 5 million units worldwide at similar point of time on the market. Even worse for Microsoft is that includes the many millions of replacement 360s people have bought and continue to buy for the RRoD hardware failure fiasco.

Not really hard to imagine how huge the sales gap will be for Sony over Microsoft when the price drops to 300 dollars soon for the PS3 and then down to 200 dollars.

Twice as expensive and outselling the 360 shows that the massive graphics superiority the PS3 is showing over the 360, gigantic first party exclusive developer advantage, and rock solid reliability and engineering is the winning strategy and is why Sony is defeating Microsoft once again so easily in the console market.
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Xanthir, FCD, 14 Aug 2009 @ 11:56am

Re: Re: Re: PS3
Jeez, I hate to feed this off-topic stuff, but:

"Ever try to back up your PS3 games?"

Yes, along with millions of other PS3 owners.

Backing up your saves is built right into the PS3 system software. Just hook up any USB drive to your PS3 and it is trivial to back and restore your game saves.

Reading comprehension, dude. The question was about backing up the *games*, as in the actual disks. Not save files.
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Remo, 14 Aug 2009 @ 12:07pm

Re: Re: Re: Re: PS3
Game saves
PSN games
Movies
Music/audio

All are easily backed up with a single command on the PS3.

PS3 game discs are of course not legally able to be copied - just like every other form of disc based media.
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diabolic (profile), 14 Aug 2009 @ 12:43pm

Re: A real comment that's actually on point..
Also, IBM Clone hardware development outpaced the proprietary Mac hardware. Now MacOS runs on IBM Clone hardware - all the new Mac hardware is IBM Clone hardware under the covers.
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HolaJohnny (profile), 14 Aug 2009 @ 3:17pm

Addison
As a fan boy/douche bag/troll why do we care? Lets all save ourselves some time and put him into the asshat category. Do everyone a favor and dry hump your PS3 controller and shut up.
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CrushU, 14 Aug 2009 @ 5:21pm

Not to feed the troll, but...
PS3 is the best thing Sony has done in a long time.

This is a fact, take it as you will.

Beyond that and actually On Topic, Sony is a weird company. Their games divisions isn't bad. (As long as you stay away from the Sony Online part) Sony Music and Sony Pictures can die in a fire. Bought a music CD and that was how I learned about DRM, because it wouldn't play in my car, and I couldn't copy the tracks to my computer or any player so I could listen to them elsewhere.
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Him ThatIs, 14 Aug 2009 @ 5:27pm

My 2 cents (on sale now!)
Does anyone use an easy to cut and paste format on their ebook? I doubt it. However, Sony using a cross-platform(abobe) format not of their making is quite a step in the right direction. Sony does deserve praise for this. Is it a strategy for sales? duh. Anyone here hate to make money? Has Sony made bad decisions in the past? Who hasn't? Have you?

Sony appears to be seeing the potential and is stepping lightly, not plunging like a blind idiot, into a place we'd all like to see them AND THEIR COMPETITORS go. This is encouraging, what with the PS3, their ebook and whatever may come next. Let's encourage THEM and give them thought-out ideas and critique.

Let us not be hateboys because of the past, but merely cautious. Thank you.
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Fakey, 14 Aug 2009 @ 6:08pm

Sony Reader Owner
I love my Reader, but I am _so_ glad Sony is giving up its PoS proprietary eBookstore DRM software. It's slow and buggy and it crashes at least once every time I try to use it. The only nice thing about it is it lets you license up to 6 devices on which to read your books.

Adobe's Digital Editions software is way easier to work with, though right now the Reader doesn't do a very good job of re-sizing or re-flowing text from those PDF files (or ePub files, for that matter). I'm hoping Sony will provide a firmware update to fix this once they go ePub.

Neither option is DRM free, but the move to ePub is a step in the right direction. Truly, the best software for the Sony Reader is the free open source program, Calibre, by programmer Kovid Goyal.
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alternatives(), 14 Aug 2009 @ 11:30pm

Sony? Open? Bahahaha
Sony's past crimes:

Support for DMCA via campaign contributions/lobbying cash
The Root kit installs from the music CDs
Ever try to get hardware specs for sony hardware so you can support it with open source - they have a history of not even bothering to try to help.

And so now, they are magically "open" - Pull the other one, it recites War and Peace.

I'll wait for the ruckus when they pull the support in a software update in the future.

When a vendor comes out with a really OPEN ebook, then I'll care about the platform.
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Ronald J Riley (profile), 15 Aug 2009 @ 5:56am

Sony-Poor Quality and Service
This is just a marketing gimmick on Sony's part and worthless in light of poor engineering, unreliable products, and atrocious service.

Sony built a great reputation over decades and has squandered it in a few years. Apple and Google, both members of the Piracy Coalition are doing the same today.

Ronald J. Riley,

Speaking only on my own behalf.
President - www.PIAUSA.org - RJR at PIAUSA.org
Executive Director - www.InventorEd.org - RJR at InvEd.org
Senior Fellow - www.PatentPolicy.org
President - Alliance for American Innovation
Caretaker of Intellectual Property Creators on behalf of deceased founder Paul Heckel
Washington, DC
Direct (810) 597-0194 - (202) 318-1595 - 9 am to 8 pm EST.
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Ronald J Riley (profile), 15 Aug 2009 @ 6:01am

Sony-Poor Quality and Service
This is just a marketing gimmick on Sony's part and worthless in light of poor engineering, unreliable products, and atrocious service.

Sony built a great reputation over decades and has squandered it in a few years. Apple and Google, both members of the Piracy Coalition are doing the same today.

Ronald J. Riley,

Speaking only on my own behalf.
President - www.PIAUSA.org - RJR at PIAUSA.org
Executive Director - www.InventorEd.org - RJR at InvEd.org
Senior Fellow - www.PatentPolicy.org
President - Alliance for American Innovation
Caretaker of Intellectual Property Creators on behalf of deceased founder Paul Heckel
Washington, DC
Direct (810) 597-0194 - (202) 318-1595 - 9 am to 8 pm EST.
[ link to this | view in thread ]
Anonymous Coward, 27 Jan 2010 @ 5:21am

xbox is wank
[ link to this | view in thread ]
Anonymous Coward, 27 Jan 2010 @ 5:22am

xbox is wank
[ link to this | view in thread ]