Like many hackers, the programmers saw their unauthorized exploit as a boon to society. "Even though TiVo, understandably, can't admit it," says one member of the group who asked to remain anonymous, "this code's good for everybody."

Their optimism is understandable. Previous programmers working in the murky regions where code and entertainment mix -- Napster's Shawn Fanning, or Jon Johansen, the creator of DeCSS (a program that decrypts DVDs for use on computers running Linux-based operating systems) -- have been lionized by their admirers and lavished with praise. Not only is the ExtractStream code extremely useful -- enabling TiVo users to back up and share their digital files of television programs, or start their own TV show libraries -- but it is also subversive, giving consumers yet another way to thumb their noses at entertainment moguls. To the hackers, ExtractStream's place in the pantheon of hackerdom must have seemed automatic.

Not quite. Instead, ExtractStream's release provoked an unexpectedly vituperative outpouring of criticism from precisely those people who once might have been counted on for hotblooded support.

"Why the hell would you do this?" asked "Mike," posting on an Internet message board that's since been removed. "Have you not gotten your mind around the fact that TiVo will NOT be happy about this and will most likely bring the party to a screeching halt? I like my TiVo and I like being able to pick it apart. Guess that's over now. No good will come of this."

"You can scream your 'Information wants to be free' battle cry at the top of your lungs all you want," added another poster, on Slashdot. "It doesn't change the reality that the people who own the rights to that information DON'T want it to be free, and will fight to maintain control. My bet is that the public availability of this software will end up being a lose/lose situation."

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For everyone who ever enjoyed tinkering with a TiVo, added another, "it's the end of the world as we know it."

One might expect such fury from Jack Valenti, head copyright cop at the Motion Picture Association of America, or Hilary Rosen, president of the Recording Industry Association of America. But not from people who had already, in their own ways, hacked TiVo's hardware and software for various purposes. Why had they turned against their own?

One reason may be fear. Napster is in full retreat, beaten into submission by RIAA lawsuits. The studios have also been winning on the DeCSS front, and now, suggest some hackers, is not the time to keep pushing the copyright envelope. Giving people the chance to distribute TV shows online will undoubtedly draw unwanted legal attention, hackers argue, and as a consequence, TiVo will be forced to take an adversarial stance toward its users or, worse, go out of business.

But fear offers only a partial explanation. There's also the question of, well, love. Few other commercial hardware products released in the past few years have inspired as much passion as TiVo, particularly within hacker circles. TiVo is not alone in allowing users to play fancy tricks with TV programming -- fast-forwarding through commercials, pausing live-action broadcasts. There are competitors, notably Microsoft's UltimateTV and ReplayTV. But TiVo stands nearly alone in one respect: It has somehow managed to appease the fears of content creators while at the same time seducing hackers.

The Alviso, Calif., company has worked extremely hard to cultivate the geek community. So hard, in fact, that previous to the release of ExtractStream, another hacker who had created his own version of the software declined to release his hack to the general public after discussing it with TiVo. Why? Simply put, says open-source-software programmer Andrew Tridgell, "because TiVo is doing a damn good job."

But can TiVo keep hackers happy indefinitely in an industry where every technical innovation is viewed as an act of war against the established entertainment industry? Tridgell held back, but the ExtractStream hackers did not. The question now is whether their software release will tip the balance and end the love affair between TiVo and the geeks.

The Free Software Project
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