It actually only costs 5 cents to make a CD. Then there's a 5 cent royalty to Sony (or whomever) the patent holder.
FYI: Speed limits aren't there because people speed. They regulate accidents from speeding, they prevent premature wear and tear on the roads themselves (which are only designed to withstand certain sustained speeds, believe it or not), and are only a maximum upper limit. You can drive slower through a wide range of other speeds.
With Vista, you have no option. Your rights to your posessions are disabled. You can no longer do what you want/need to with your own files. This is an infringement on personal choice (thus personal freedom).
Imagine if MS bought out all the TV transmitters in North America, and then said that folks are ignoring all other programming when football is on. Well, the other programs are supported by a long list of VERY rich companies that have put out commercials that are not being seen. They're upset. So they contact MS and have MS disable all high-quality TV feeds. But that's not enough. Now they're down-grading the existing levels by adding static to the picture intentionally, and then they're screwing with the sound so the commentator cuts in and out. On top of that they've added a code that spreads, like a virus, to all VCRs on the planet. Now you cannot watch your old tapes of old games. Tivos get the same virus, only it erases all football content.
All because some rich companies with money out their arses put up a fuss. I'm all for a fight against piracy, but 99% of all profitable piracy is in Hong Kong and Asia. So all Hollywood has to do is stop sending fresh, new, copies of their latest films to Asia. There, problem solved. But noooOOooo... They go and dictate what we can and cannot watch (regardless of whether it's OURS or not!) on our own time, in our OWN house, on our own computers. What the hell has that got to do with piracy?
This is pure bullflop and I think it's pretty obvious. The only problem is that there's a lot of folks ignorant to the issue out there. By the time Vista is debunked as trash, 50% of American households will have it just because "it's new!"
EDIT: P.S. Vista is out this Tuesday according to the paper ads (*shudder*)