Hardware vendors should be put on notice

Story: FSF takes Win 8 Secure Boot fight to OEMsTotal Replies: 3
Author Content
BFM

Oct 18, 2011
1:16 PM EDT
Vendors such as motherboard makers are the ones who will decide if we can bypass this nonsense. I build my own desktops and servers so I can pick and choose vendors. Laptops are another story. This might be a boon to Linux vendors such as Zareason. They are usually more expensive than big box vendors, but at least we know they will boot Linux.
JaseP

Oct 18, 2011
1:24 PM EDT
While you are correct, desktops are not the problem. Like you said, laptops are one concern, but more so are special form factors like tablets and set top boxes. We really need a vender for tablets and the like.
BFM

Oct 18, 2011
10:45 PM EDT
@JaseP

I don't think the tablets and appliances are as much of a problem as machines we usually consider as PCs. A big percentage of them are not Intel powered. Most are ARM processors except for Apple. Microsoft does not have much of a presence there. Android (Linux) has a big head start there, and a monoply on hardware features is not as much of a problem as in the Wintel world as things currently stand. The battle with telcos is one that needs to be fought, but it is a different war than the one with Redmond.
JaseP

Oct 19, 2011
9:10 AM EDT
You understand that if M$ gets their way with vendors, they will all be going UEFI "secure" boot, and that they will all release their products ONLY with M$ keys,... right!?!? Intel is going to play the fence with M$,... They always do. They have a love/hate relationship. So, for now, Intel is in M$'s camp. That will probably change in X number of months, but that gives M$ time to work over the OEMs. Nothing would please them more than to have Linux, BSD or any of the POSIX OSes marginalised on a particular hardware and/or form factor. I, for one, want my choice of form factor, architecture and OS. Don't feel too secure in what the status quo us right now. In the IT world things move at the speed of electrons.

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