What is "Trusted Platform Module" (TPM)?

[TheAnimus]

okay, my tablet pc, i love it too bits, its a tecra m4.

Its got a TPM. But suprise surprise, i still am able to rip cd's on it! And i've yet to have anything nasty happen? I know that the HDD is very well encrypted, and if someone steals it they've got little chance of getting at my data, as a tecra m4 is a particularly good iteam to steal, i like that.

My mailbox password, ludicrously well protected.
Those pictures i took, very well protected.
That music CD i ripped for that train jornery (LTJ Bukem) ludicrusly well protected.

for everything else, theirs OpenBSD. (bad geek joke, OpenBSD team lie about how secure their OS is like its a religion)

Me, very happy. You, telling me that i'm having my freedom taken away, no in fact its people spouting crap like you that are doing that, because TPM has given me more options, and you would have that taken away?

[Steve]

The Animus. The behaviour you've described is because the TPM is solely used for encryption of the disk drive. Unless the software you're using to rip CDs has some sort of trusted computing awareness then it's not going to make a blind bit of difference.

TPM is something that will become more of an issue as we move towards high-definition media and stuff like Windows Vista. noTHINGface isn't spouting crap; there's serious scope for abuse of trusted computing by the industry, and while I doubt that we'll end up with computers that are so locked down we can't do jack on them, I'm certain companies will try their luck first (Sony DRM, anyone?)

[TheAnimus]

You can't just not talk about the good things.

point is the sony DRM was widly bypassed by most clued users with minimal effort, heck I loved the fact that apple had neglected to allow access to emergency eject wholes on certain models.

The result is, PR disaster for sony. That really dosen't scare me, because ninja tunes haven't used any form of DRM, hmm, wounder why i buy too many CDs on their label?

Its really simple if you don't like the rules, don't buy it. I for one really don't mind to much the notion that this video is a bugger to pirate, i'll go for that, but if they then said it could only be watched on this one player, i wouldn't buy it, and i wouldn't be alone in that.

My choice will still be there. Emphasis on MY. Just like i say how i detest software patents that i don't hold (i hold none) its still true. If someone wants to release something that dosen't work with how i want to use it, fair play. Are you really saying not been able to watch ultra high quality version of titanic will effect your life?

Technology is such where we can be seen as an indevidual p=np. Now this IS going to happen, moaning about it won't stop it, instead embrace that which is done correctly, reject what isn't.

when people spout dire end of the world crap, they actually help the industry, its like when anti-war protestors start spouting their ideas (like imediate troop withdrawl) that you sudenly discredit the whole side of the arugment.

TPM in my tecra is for mostly HDD encryption, but can also do software 'streams', the CD ripping software, is of course un-signed, but i can run it if i want to, i wouldn't buy a PC i couldn't now would I? My mobile (Qtech 8310) runs windows mobile 5.0, each peice of software should be signed before i can run without user prompting, and even then can't do anything dangerous enless its specailly signed. Its great, I've written more for that phone than my old nokia 6600 which didn't have any restrictive DRM (also didn't have a decent OS).

Just what exactly are these RIAA people going to do? whilst I'm sleeping install a fritz chip?