Talk:Bnetd

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[edit] history

I'm suprised not to find more about the history of bnetd and at least a passing mention about FSGS. In any case, bnetd was more or less ignored by blizzard for years (when it was used for starcraft and starcraft:broodwar). It wasn't until *another* group of unknown developers forked the bnetd project to gain access to the Warcraft III alpha (which itself had new security measures to stop exactly this kind of thing). Blizzard could not identify the programmers behind that, so they sued bnetd instead.

[edit] "corporate interests"

IIRC, w/o a valid cd key, blizzard software can't actually be installed. Does someone want to confirm that? 69.17.59.214 23:00, 3 July 2006 (UTC)

  • Well, a keygen can still be used to actually install the game, but I'm sure blizz has some mechanism in place to detect false cd keys when the user attempts to connect to Battle.Net. Considering the monetary resources that blizz now has thanks to World of Warcraft, I would venture a guess that they've amassed a database of either legit or false keys to query a connection's cd key against. Speculation aside, as long as your key, legit or otherwise, meets the algorithm's criteria, the game won't challenge an installation, but your online component may be less than functional. See CD key. Archmagi1 00:55, 6 July 2006 (UTC)

I agree with 62.251.90.73 in that anti-circumvention legislation, like the DMCA, is a product of political corruption. Still, not everyone would agree. I'd like to see a more NPOV statement here.

Perhaps the article on Digital rights management can be linked. It has the best discussion on the anti-circumvention controversy I've found so far. Matt Fitzpatrick 06:37, 4 January 2006 (UTC)

Never mind. The implication may be NPOV, but the statement itself appears to be factual. Matt Fitzpatrick 23:34, 10 January 2006 (UTC)

[edit] "corporate interests have less influence on government policy"

"Other hosts were quickly set up in countries where corporate interests have less influence on government policy."

Are you kidding me!? This is dripping with such bias that I threw up all over my keyboard. Suggestion: "Other hosts were quickly set up in countries where the DMCA does not apply."

[edit] Link to bnetd

Come to think of it, I'm a little concerned about the link to bnetd. Under the DMCA, it's illegal to link to "circumvention" software.

Personally, I doubt Vivendi will risk giving bnetd a second day in court by suing Wikipedia. In the Eleventh Circuit, in which the Wikipedia servers reside, the Eighth Circuit decision is merely advisory, not a binding precedent. Consequently, I think we should leave the link until Wikipedia gets a nastygram from Vivendi lawyers.Matt Fitzpatrick 21:48, 22 March 2006 (UTC)

[edit] Cleanup

Hey, I decided that the giant lump of bias text needed a bit of cleanup. I divided it into 2 sections (VU v Jung, and Criticism), and moved a bunch of text around. I also tried to dilute the previous incarnation's frequent and obvious bias throughout (most notably the overusage of clickwrap). I dont much agree with the ruling, but this place is an encyclopedia not an opinion forum.

PS, it could still use a bit more work if you guys can find some improvements over my stuff. Archmagi1 00:46, 6 April 2006 (UTC)Archmagi1


  • I also added the merge banner because much of the Blizzard v. BnetD article is already here and thensome. Archmagi1 01:04, 6 April 2006 (UTC)
  • I agree, merge into bnetd. The content is all there. Besides, the case wasn't even called Blizzard v bnetd. 209.6.187.140 16:08, 4 June 2006 (UTC)
  • Good work! I wasn't even thinking about how loaded the word 'clickwrap' is. Matt Fitzpatrick 17:44, 25 August 2006 (UTC)

[edit] POV-check?

On 21 Jan 2007 the POV-check tag was added to the bnetd article by an anonymous user. [1] No comment was left on the talk page. If you are the anonymous user please explain why you feel the article needs editing to conform to WP:NPOV. If there's no apparent issue, the tag may be removed by anyone pursuant to Wikipedia:POV check. Matt Fitzpatrick 10:07, 8 May 2007 (UTC)

I have removed the POV-check template per the Wikipedia:POV check guidelines, which state:
In order to ensure the POV check template cannot be used to brand articles as non-neutral without a justification, it may be removed by anyone if they feel that the issue has been resolved.... if you disagree with its removal, place the full neutrality dispute template on the page, explain your reasons on the talk page, and follow the regular NPOV dispute resolution process.
Matt Fitzpatrick 19:28, 19 May 2007 (UTC)

[edit] Advocacy in the criticism section

A few days back, I removed [2] the criticism section, which read:

Many observers disagree with the court's technical findings. In particular, whether the battle.net modes of Blizzard's client programs are eligible for protection under the DMCA's anti-circumvention clause, or are uncopyrightable functional elements, remains a topic of debate in technology law.
This debate relates to the CD key's validity as a copyright access control subject to the DMCA's anti-circumvention clause. Lack of a valid CD key does not prevent the games in question from being copied, installed, or played in modes that do not involve battle.net servers. Further, battle.net administrators regularly disable CD keys to block suspected cheaters from the service. A player with a disabled CD key remains able to play independently of battle.net, such as in single player mode, or through a direct UDP connection to another player. A player with unlicensed software is permitted to play on battle.net, so long as the player's CD key is valid and not in concurrent use by another player. This treatment of the CD key raises the question as to how much the CD key functions to protect the client software from unlicensed use, and how much it functions as copyright-blind permission to connect to the battle.net service.
There is also some doubt as to the ruling's sway in courts outside the Eighth Circuit. To illustrate, critics allege Blizzard forum shopped to keep the case out of the Ninth Circuit, despite all of the licenses involved in the lawsuit requiring claims to be filed in Los Angeles County, California. The Ninth Circuit, which includes California, where Blizzard Entertainment headquarters are located, built much of the case history protecting reverse engineering uses against copyright infringement and other claims (Sega v. Accolade, 1992; Sony v. Connectix, 2000).

I believe this passage could be reworked, but I also believe it should be reworked before it is restored, as it is currently rife with advocacy. In particular, the second paragraph is simply a point-counter-point style debate that criticizes the court's finding in this case. Wikipedia is not a platform for popularizing opinions on current affairs. To improve this section, it would be necessary to find reliable third-party sources that make these criticisms, and then report on those sources. Beware of weasel terms such as Many observers disagree... and There is also some doubt as these passive, vague phrases are usually a way for an editor to get his or her own view of the subject into the article.

Cheers, --Ryan Delaney talk 07:51, 9 May 2008 (UTC)

Anything I haven't added back in by now, I'm not planning to add back in. Matt Fitzpatrick (talk) 12:07, 9 May 2008 (UTC)