--- Forwarded Message from Derek Roff <[log in to unmask]> ---

>Date: Mon, 12 May 2003 14:36:11 -0600
>From: Derek Roff <[log in to unmask]>
>To: LLTI-Editor <[log in to unmask]>
>Subject: Re: #7148.5 iTunes 4 - terminology question
>In-Reply-To: <[log in to unmask]>
>References:  <[log in to unmask]>

Otmar, your message seems to be saying that, by definition, streamed
files can't be saved by the user/viewer.  Am I interpreting your
words correctly?  My experience with the term "streaming" is
different.   The usage that I am accustomed to would give the content
author/provider the option of letting users save the material, or
not, at the author's discretion.  The essence of streaming, in my
usage, and that of several web dictionaries, is that the media can
begin playing without the complete file being transmitted to the
user's computer.

If streaming media is, by definition, media that can't be saved by
the user, then I would argue that there is no such media.  Anything
that the user can view, the user can save.  Sometimes it is easy,
sometimes it requires finding, copying, and renaming a few temp
files, sometimes it requires downloadable "hijack" software or
sophisticated knowledge.

For those of us providing copyrighted materials over a network, I am
not sure what our responsibilities are.  Certainly, we must make an
effort to prevent copying.  But can we, in good conscience,
distribute the media knowing that it can be hijacked?  Conscience
aside, what does the law require?  I'm guessing that we need to make
copying difficult enough that the user would have trouble doing it,
and would have reason to know that they are breaking the law.

Derek

--On Monday, May 12, 2003 3:37 PM -0400 LLTI-Editor
<[log in to unmask]> wrote:

> "You can stream MP3s quite easily, without a special server. You
> simply need to create a meta file with the URL of the MP3, and send
> the correct Content-Type header, audio/x-mpegurl m3u. I created a
> little 2 line PHP script that automates this process. I originally
> did something like this in the UserTalk language (the programming
> language in Frontier) for http streaming of RealAudio files.
>
> This link points to that script, and the file that this URL points
> to will stream..."
>
> yes, that's what Apple, Inc. (mistakenly) calls streaming as well.
> But, If I understand this correctly, it is only pseudo- streaming
> and you can still get at the file easily, if you want to. Real
> streaming requires a server, and real streaming files are fairly
> difficult to download. (Another group here at Dartmouth tested your
> approach and their hacker students were able to download to their
> machines in no time....)
>
>  We were particularly interested in using this approach for
> copyright enforcement, but gave up on it. It's either .mov files or
> MP4 files.
>
> Otmar Foelsche

Derek Roff
Language Learning Center, MSC03-2100
Ortega Hall Rm 129, 1 University of New Mexico
Albuquerque, NM 87131-0001
505/277-7368, fax 505/277-3885
Internet: [log in to unmask]