Microsoft mandates UEFI bios that prevents LinuxOS installs, limits software and hardware.

mjg59.dreamwidth.org...

Microsoft is mandating oem computer makers to use the secureboot feature of the new UEFI bios for windows 8 computers. This will make it possible for vendors to lock down there computers like phones currently are. This is just limited to OS and software, but adding in hardware too. All software and hardware drivers will require a digitally signed key or they will not function. "Oh don't pay us for the key, you can't upgrade your video card." "What's this, your not authorized to have a second hard drive, what do you need all that space for anyway?" This is what I had feared happening since I read the white papers on UEFI years ago. Since computers are still the freest and easiest way to share information, they are really gunning to lock them down for fun and profit. I'm sure there will be enterprising individuals who will figure out ways around this, but why should be have to? This kinda reminds me of game consoles as well where you're not really buying the console, just a license to use it.

As long as the OEM key I buy on ncix isn't going to give me this problem.
Otherwise, Microsoft is going to have another Vista on their hands, where 90% of their main supporters do not switch over.

All they are doing is removing our options down to one so that we do not really have an option, seems very familiar.

This is step one in getting the cloud going.

lol real cute move microsoft


just a matter of time before your bios is hacked and the override is in our favor.


linux0S will always find a way to walk around it


and they can shove windows cloud where the sun don't shine...


don't make me buy a mac NEVER lol

grats microsoft alienate your users some more whydon'tya...

been a user since 95, stuck with a vista, I prefer XP. will not upgrade to 7 let alone 8.

this move is cheap. someone will find a way to patch, bypass, utterly make look stupid the programmers at mircosoft, for the billionth time. indie software dev's put more soul into it, shut them out and we might aswell go back to 98's where everything was terrible. actually i don't think we need to go back at all, just...default mode.

ed: I would have bought a mac years ago but pricey. not to mention you can run windows on a mac, and probably lunix too.

Originally posted by seedofchucky
lol real cute move microsoft


just a matter of time before your bios is hacked and the override is in our favor.


linux0S will always find a way to walk around it


and they can shove windows cloud where the sun don't shine...


don't make me buy a mac

NEVER lol

I am most definetely in agreement with all the above, please please please dont make me by a Mac. I cant be a conspiracy theorist and a apple cultist

reply to post by wiandiii


yea, im sure they wont be allowed to lock out linux, remember when ms was forced to offer options other than explorer as a browser in their own os? some consumer rights group will make a stink and theyll end up bowing to them.

if not before launch, by sp1.

regardless, efi was dumped and emulated practically immediately, im sure the same thing is going to happen regardless of what microsoft does with their keys.

if anything, its probably more to protect windows from being pirated than to prevent linux from being used, the oem keys are always exploited by pirates so if they require a firmware handshake, then its one more obstacle.

unfortunately its still gonna get cracked.

Is there any doubt but what every single key stroke anyone inputs must eventually be directed, by desire or mandate to the cloud? Does anyone doubt that day is coming?

How else better for the master alien computer to sweep up the entire Earth's musings?

Wild talk? Yeah, but maybe....

Western civilization is not use to this jackboot type of forced compliance, but we have been taught to allow it, and it comes on all levels of society today and frequently we don't even notice except to gripe about some new infringement upon a personal interest (such as this topic).

If we (you) can conceive of a master plan by which the world must be and can be controlled, then you may understand that any new control upon us of large or small concern comes along not by mere happenstance simply because some person or org wanted it so.... It is obvious that ultimately, we will allow, with out blessings, the UN to take over the control of minor, Third World countries. As is currently happening, that aggregation will eventually become the biggest kid on the bloc(k), and the holdouts of the West will have to capitulate. The freedoms you hold so dear will be things of the past, victims of communitarianism and other catchwords for the common good.

Thanks for pointing out the cloud computing angle, I didn't even think of that at first. Also as some of you have stated, antitrust laws would work in our favor in some countries. I would still worry that system manufacturers could still get away with limiting your hardware upgrades via license scheme, it's not like they haven't done it before and got away with it by they use of proprietary parts.

First off this requirement is for OEM who are branding PCs with MS Logos. OEMs will still make non- branded MS PCs.


Secondly, before Apple embraced Intel chips, you couldn't install Windows on a MAC, also if you had an Apple desktop you couldn't just put any hardware in it unless approved by Apple. So yeah, put that apple in your blender and puree it.

www.zdnet.com...

reply to post by wiandiii


Good security measure to prevent backdoors and trojans.

Apart from gaming Windows sucks. This makes it suck more. Windows 7/Vista sucks because its slow/bloated and a resource hog.

Linux is harder to use but ALOT faster. Even emulated Wine programs run faster on linux and windows.

Originally posted by Skewed

This is step one in getting the cloud going.

Man I'm getting tired of that term! 'Cloud' is nothing but a hosted, virtual infrastructure and Microsoft are miles behind in the race for that slice of the pie.

VMware smashes every competitor in the virtualisation/'cloud' space...by miles.

Linux dudes will smash down the walls of Microsofts Jericho.. there's only so much protection you can implement by pointing and clicking

This will in no way affect Linux or any other operating system for that matter. The only thing that happens is if you buy a PC with the windows 8 logo on it then it will only run windows 8. But if you buy a generic branded machine you can load whatever you want on it. Hardware manufacturers are not going to cut off a large portion of their sales to give Microsoft any sort of stranglehold. You will be able to get your system board with generic BIOS, and in fact I would bet you will be able to buy windows 8 branded PC and remove the bios, and for a few buck later down the road replace it with a generic one. Thus allowing you to load your Linux, on this once windows branded machine. This is pure sensationalism, no basis in reality.

I've been thinking this is where they want us to go. With the rollout of this whole cloud crap, eventually they will lead us to computers with no hard drives, only cpu and memory, that way like mentioned above every keystroke is stored where they have easy access to it.

It is my understanding that the secure-boot which prevents the booting of unsigned code, actually has an off switch mandated in the specification (most probably via a motherboard jumper), thus enabling the owners of the machine to turn it off.

Futhermore, reading UEFI's own WIKI, the "secure-boot" will only be shipped in an ENABLED state on OEM and branded machines. If you build your own, or have one built to order rather than bought off the shelf, Secure Boot will not be enabled.

Much media hype, about nothing really in my opinion.

reply to post by wiandiii


It will be unlocked and hacked and people will hate windows more..