Chris Pirillo hears from Matt Calder at Microsoft with an official response to the DRM debacle:
While this issue is not the result of any exploit of Windows Media DRM, we do recognize it may cause problems for some of our customers. To help mitigate these problems, Microsoft is committed to providing an update to Windows Media Player in the next 30 days that would allow the end user more control over when and how any pop ups display in the licensce acquisition process.
Chris recommends turning off the option to automatically acquire licenses for protected content. Sadly, that option has zero effect on this flaw. He also says, “ Don’t throw the baby out with the bathwater; Windows Media is still a fantastic format.” I agree.
Update: I have re-read this comment a few times, and I’m not sure what it means. Yes, they’re apparently working on a patch. “Allow the end user more control over when and how any pop ups display”? If the patch doesn’t change the default behavior and prevent Windows Media Player from opening a Web page that can prompt the user to install software, it will be essentially useless.
Ed Bott 