Yes, exactly, they were. But they didnt install any crap on your HD like Securom or Tages do. Ring 0 crap as a matter of fact. Usually known as rootkits. : ) I think DRM companies like sony dacc and such are little weasels making a fortune from game companies by using FUD tactics and tricking them into buying their DRM scheme cause otherwise "your game will be pirated like a mofo".

The second is probably ARM, not DRM. But yes, the term was simply not invented at the time.
ARM, because it an analogue way of managing your rights... though it manages your digital rights, so it could be both I assume.

Oh yea, i hate that too. There's lots of games I'd like to buy but I can't since they are only available in "north american territories", and such. Since that's not the case in Gog, usually it's not mentioned a lot here. : ) Something more crappy is also when people from "approved" territories buy the game cheaper at other sites based in different territories and their purchase is void when they log in and enter their key.

Yeah. I dunno. I just always like to mention that because so many people seem to think that DRM is only drivers and activation models.

I probably didnt see your post, oops. I wasnt mocking you btw, i just wanted to know your opinion on why you think DRM is beneficial. I dont like DLCs distributed with DRM. I dislike the whole software-as-a-service, cloud thing.

Here's my take on this. It's a rather loose collection of thoughts and emotions so bear with me.
Installation keys and cd checks I barely notice anymore, honestly. This is, to me, the way things have always been. I am also aware of the limitations to these systems.
Once I purchase media, then I own it as long as I live. I don't think games are any different than books or video tapes. Without artificial limitations, digital media can be be reproduced, emulated, updated, and widely distributed indefinately. And it needs to be. With the speed at which technology is changing, without allowing some leeway for consumers to maintain their own collections then things get lost and destroyed. There are plenty of stories of movies, shows, books, and other literary works being lost forever because there was no one with permission or ability to make copies of the works or else all the laborously made copies were destroyed (or irreparably damaged) in some disaster. (Star Wars, NASA moon landing tapes, burning of the library in Alexandria.) The source code for several games has already been lost by the parent companies. With digital media, that doesn't have to happen.
As far as the reasons that these things need to be preserved, these creations have impacted us, many of us since a young age. They show who we are and who we were. They're shaping our culture as well, you don't have to look farther than PAX or Blizzcon to see that. Allowing these dreams to be lost without fighting it in some way would be awful. These are things I want to keep, to show my children. To show everyone's children. These are the fairy tales that our kids will grow up on. And if something so trivial as a format change or a collection of words written on a paper is going to keep me from sharing these experiences with future generations because the company implements a method of preventing the games, books, movies, whatever from working without meeting very specific requirements then I cannot agree with it.