Computer science students who want to learn how to be programmers? Has the world gone mad??? No, it seems you have discovered what every computer science student wants: To become actual programmers. If only more CS professors possessed such insight.

The biggest problem with remote activation DRM is that your ability to play the game is dependent upon the support staff and servers maintained by the publisher. If this technology simply removes some kind of physical impedance at point of purchase, then that's fine. If playing the software thereafter depends on contacting a server to see if the game was actually purchased in a store, then that's inexcusable.

Remember: You wouldn't be able to install and play System Shock today if it required activation DRM.