I've mentioned Starforce several times in the last few months. And I'm getting tired of it, really. Here's a short but thorough summary of where we stand right now (courtesy of R-Force, which among other things is an anti-Starforce advocacy site):
(http://www.r-force.org/modules.php?name=News&file=article&sid=46).
A few of the issues that have been presented:
--DMA Step down to PIO mode.
--Code 7 through to Code 41 errors in XP.
--Inability to correctly burn CD/DVD’s.
--Cannot watch DVD Video without it getting choppy.
--Between 3% to 25% system performance lag.
--CD/DVD Hardware failure due to prolonged PIO mode usage in XP.
--Premature CD/DVD hardware failure due to excessive usage in the authorisation processes.
--Complete OS Crash, Blue screen of death with a Non Plug and play error.
The list seems to go on and on……
Security Technologies (Starforce) Response to all this:
--They describe people having problems as “Beginner level Hackers.”
--Accuse them of being paid by their rivals to post problems.
--Call them liars.
--Call them Pirates or Organised Crime leaders.
What this mess is seriously lacking is clarity, and by that I mean clarity through methodology. While Computer Gaming World confirmed the DMA Step down to PIO mode problem, their testing sample was extremely small.
What we desperately need is for Maximum PC or some other objective publication to create a test for these alleged issues. Load up as many systems as possible with different configurations, use Starforce repeatedly, and see which of these problems can be objectively documented. The test methodology should be publicly available so that anyone can attempt to duplicate the results. No advocacy, no agenda, just an objective test.
We're at the point right now where anecdotal data has been gathered, but it's going to end there unless someone gets systematic. Anecdotal evidence isn't going to get the big publishers like Ubisoft to back away from using Starforce.
Evidence systematically gathered, though, would, particularly if the testing can be duplicated by anyone.