After seven years of work, the LinuxBIOS project is on the brink of making a free BIOS a standard option for computers. Serious obstacles remain, including a lack of resources and resistance from some proprietary chipset manufacturers and OEMs, but the advantages of LinuxBIOS indicate that its availability to the average computer buyer may be only months away.
Is there any comparisons of LinuxBIOS vs say EFI?
I know EFI has been around for a long time and has been trying to get pushed but hardware vendors are reluctant.
I wonder what it’s like for LinuxBIOS.
Would be interesting to get some more information about them, seeing as the BIOS isn’t something that’s really discussed much, compared to the OS and hardware anyway.
Is there any comparisons of LinuxBIOS vs say EFI?
Yer. LinuxBIOS is more likely to actually work. I never cease to be amazed by how broken implementations of EFI are.
Or how many BIOS vendors are hugging onto the last bit of monopolistic position that they have, which allow them to screw everyone over.
Sure, EFI is ‘technologically nice’ but when it comes to real world, nothing beats OpenFirmware (which is what OpenBIOS is implementing).
Personally, I’d love to see motherboard and hardware vendors move completely over to OpenBIOS, then finally we would start to see fixes being released alot quicker than the current proprietary process.
Exceelllleeennnnttt…
Final step to world domination – mwa ha ha mwa ha ha
I’d *love* for this to be viable and reliable. I’d love to get rid of the BIOS on my Inspiron intentionally crippled by Dell; my desktop (assembled myself) has full-featured BIOS and I’m much happier with total control.
not only that… but what about “these companies” that are pushing for DRM to be included in the BIOS !!!!
What benefit the end-user will get from Open Source BIOS?
A lot, if that user has some technical prowess. Even if they don’t you would be surprised how many computers are second hand and even third hand, so you never know who’s hands Aunt Tillie’s old computer will end up in. Open “anything” on a computer will mean that if someone has a curiousity they can learn about the system, fix it or even improve it. That is how I learned. That is how many of us learned. And we would like those that follow us to continue to learn.
Open Source BIOS won’t contain DRM.
DRM is just another word for security.
No, it’s another word for “oppression”.
microFawad:What benefit the end-user will get from Open Source BIOS?
Let me answer this question by asking you a question:
What benefit does the end-user get from a propritary BIOS?
One thing that annoys me about my dell system is that I can’t list hard disks in the boot order.
This would be cool because I could stick ~50 OS’s on my secondary HDD and disable the first one in the BIOS when I need to play with the second one.
As it is now I can’t install anything on disk2 without overwriting my primary boot loader on disk1, and without disk2 in the boot order I can’t just disable disk1.
Since my primary systems (Windows/Ubuntu) are on disk1 I don’t want any of the random OS’s or distros on disk2 fsking up my installs on disk1.
This means for “testing” I am forced to use a slow test machine connected to the KVM switch instead.
I was hoping I would be able to just disable disk1 in the bios and have my way with disk2 but no, the BIOS has locked me out.
If anyone knows an OEM that does not do this with thier BIOS I will consider them for my next upgrade cycle.
Is this being targeted at OEMs? Or as a replacement BIOS on existing machines? I would love to get this on a new computer, but would be hesitant to flash an existing BIOS for fear that I would turn the MoBo into an expensive paperweight.
As to benefits: smaller, cheaper, and a hedge against future technology enforcing DRM….all worthy goals.
Definately a project worth keeping an eye on…
fear that I would turn the MoBo into an expensive paperweight.
Which would set you back about what, $100 USD and maybe an hours time. Truly a bargain when one considers the price some pay for their freedom.
If this f–ks up my BIOS and let me in the dark with a no botting computer, what can I do?
oh I forgot, I won’t have support at all, OEM may be the “Devil” but at least can respond.
And no, don’t put links to a forum, That’s not the kind of help or support I need.
You can do what you would do if any BIOS upgrade does not work. Reset your jumper on the motherboard or use a special keyboard combination on some models that will take you back to your previous Eprom.
Almost all modern motherboards have a way to reset and back up the BIOS. Besides, you would not flash a functioning motherboard unless you had a reason for it and there will soon be lists of motherboards that are well supported by Linux BIOS.
But hey, nobody is forcing you to do anything, so stop putting forth strawman arguments.
There are also some fairly simple windows-based tools which will make images of your current BIOS for backup purposes. I would imagine that there are similar tools for Linux as well.
Actually, according to this: http://linuxbios.org/images/9/97/LinuxBIOS.pdf
You don’t flash the OEM BIOS at all. You actually remove the chip and replace it with another chip that is capable of loading linuxBIOS; in other words, it is only viable on systems with removable BIOS chip.
An interesting project, nonetheless, and geared more toward remote management and fast boot times for specific types of system than for general use, apparently.
I don’t see anyone holding a gun to your head, forcing you to install it.
Oh wait, you’re just trolling as usual.
Edited 2006-12-08 02:14
What’s the problem advocates of “Freedom”, can’t handle the truth?
Oh yeah you are all hypocryts pushing the mod down button.
What’s the problem advocates of “Freedom”, can’t handle the truth?
Oh yeah you are all hypocryts pushing the mod down button.
Yes, we are
NO, we just dont like you Mitarai. Didnt you get the memo? No body is putting a gun to your head so why dont you just pipe down if you dont like it. Geez. You must REALLY hate linux to piss on every story that comes out about it.
News flash, I don’t hate Linux, I love it, but I don’t feel confortable with the GPL trolls tha give it a bad fame.
Oh you don’t like me, to bad, bacause I really like you, you all make my day everyday with your statements out of reallity.
As a side note, I don’t think LinuxBIOS is going to be able to compete with the new WinBIOS from Microsoft.
According to its going to be quite a LinuxBIOS killer.
However, as we all know, Linux isn’t ready for the BIOS and won’t be for sometime. Not unless they drop the ridiculous color scheme and add support for and make sure it only runs on one type of hardware.
Haha
LOL, Nice one.
By tmack (1.84) on 2006-12-08 01:41:12 UTC in reply to “”
However, as we all know, Linux isn’t ready for the BIOS and won’t be for sometime. Not unless they drop the ridiculous color scheme and add support for and make sure it only runs on one type of hardware.
Hey! But next year will be the year of LinuxBIOS!
and me out of mod points, damn.
“Hey! But next year will be the year of LinuxBIOS!”
It will also be the year of Windows security!
First thaught that occured to me readying your reply is: f–k OFF!
sorry dude but you’re nothing more but a troll and doesn’t deserve any attention from me anymore.
You’re worse then the GPL, windows and mac freaks.
Seriously read your first comment. It only pissed people off without a damn good reason. NO excuse possible.
Don’t hate linux except the gpl trolls? Guess what:
“He who fights with monsters should look to it that he himself does not become a monster”
😛
Oh yeah and you are a saint, so I’ll just reply to you with quoting you>
f–k OFF!
I got nothing to hide, I’m no saint and neither am I the devil
Im glad you recognice you are nothing.
I don’t see anyone holding a gun to your head, forcing you to install it.
Oh, so it is mandatory for the use of Linux to have the aproval of the GPL trolls, lucky me I enjoy the real freedom and I can install Linux and enjoy its essense w/o guilt.
I say Kudos for the real freedoms hypocryts,
Edited 2006-12-08 02:32
Nobody’s telling you you have to use Linux. No one said they disapprove of people who don’t use Linux. The only person who brought up the GPL was you.
Having seen enough of it here myself, I can understand anger at the Linux-centric viewpoint, but you’re not making any valid comments on the cited article or the Linux-centricity of the OSNews community. You’re just throwing off insults at people, and claiming that they’re hypocrites as some kind of lame attempt at covering your arse. Which makes you something of a hypocrite too, no?
You are hypocrite because you are calling me hypocrite, can it be more clear?
The truth is this:
Linux rules and the GPL cult sucks, thats my humble opinion.
Too bad I neither use Linux nor approve of the GPL, eh? 0 out of 2, not so good.
Reading comprehension isn’t your strong suite, is it?
neither sarcasm is in your qualities, I can see why you are nothing.
Edited 2006-12-08 04:10
So you don’t feel it’s necessary to comply with linux licence? Why then should anyone feel it’s necessary to comply with (say) Windows licences or film copyrights?
Face it, Mitarai, you’re just a GPL-hating loser who’s full of crap.
…Like we can on Digg? You know, those that waste two full pages spamming, there is no “feature” to permanently block viewing of all comments of such users?
I hope so, Im eager to block you the soones possible.
I wonder if they plan on supporting old systems. This might be a way to add more modern features (like booting from USB) to older systems.
I do think Windows support is a definite must though. Actually, I don’t see why the BIOS you run should care what OS you use. I guess this one does things a bit differently.
It’s the other way around. The OS you run cares about the BIOS you use. Often OSen use direct calls into the BIOS to figure out stuff about the machine, so the OS has to be able to call into the BIOS. This implies it has to know enough about the BIOS to know what to do with it. (and yes, this should be solvable with smarter bootloaders, although this means that the OS would kind of care about what bootloader it used, or at least would have to be revamped to interface with it differently.)
One of the reasons for open-source modern BIOS is dumping legacy stuff that’s slowing the boot process so I don’t think this will happen.
If booting windows is a support request then it seems to be in-process. OLPC prototypes are at Redmond trying to boot to XP (probably Win/CE) using an SD card.
http://www.vnunet.com/vnunet/news/2170209/microsoft-looking-windows…
deal with that and move on.
Why should GNU/Linux users care if it will reach the unwashed masses. Without “Windows status” it works just as fine on my machines as it would work if every Joe, Dick and Harry used it.
Maybe you should move on and accept the fact that GNU/Linux users don’t care about the pontifications of an “anything but Linux” individual.
Last time I looked at the LinuxBIOS project (a while ago now) I got the impression that it was intended as a special BIOS for remotely managing clusters of Linux computers only.
I haven’t found anything to suggest that all of the (admittedly ugly) standard BIOS functionality is supported. In this case it isn’t a viable replacement BIOS for a normal computer (unless you never want to run anything except Linux and possibly some OSs that rely on GRUB).
Fortunately, there is something like Apple’s “Boot Camp” for it called ADLO (see http://linuxbios.org/ADLO) which should eventually allow standard software to boot. Of course this isn’t as easy as it sounds, as it’s based on the Bochs BIOS, and the Bochs BIOS is designed for the hardware emulated by Bochs (and not designed for your hardware).
I’d also assume that mainstream motherboard manufacturers would consider this entirely unusable for normal desktop machines, where the highest priority for those manufacturers is probably Windows/Microsoft compatability.
What license it is going to be ? I hope that there is not going to be something viral that claims that everything created on the computer as derivative work…..
DG
“LinuxBios Licence
LinuxBios is release under the GNU GENERAL PUBLIC LICENSE Version 2, June 1991 Copyright (C) 1989, 1991 Free Software Foundation, Inc. 675 Mass Ave, Cambridge, MA 02139, USA”
Considering you have not looked up the license which takes seconds. I do not really think you are the best person to comment on what is a really interesting topic.
The pros vs cons of using this license for this specific task…is actually quite unique.
I think that what might make this viable eventually is that when it matures enough to be able to run windows, hardware vendors will have many reason to like it because it will be cheaper (free) than buying a commercial bios, and most of the support and maintenance will be provided by the community.
As people have already said, it isn’t a question of being “mature enough to run Windows”, any more than it’s a question of the PC being “mature enough to run Windows”. If you want to use the words “mature enough”, then it’s a question of, on the one hand, “Windows being mature enough to run on the PC” and “Windows being mature enough to run on LinuxBIOS”.
Edited 2006-12-08 11:17
If you look what hardware LinuxBIOS support you pretty much disappoint in it. No support for Nvidia or Ati bridges, mostly network boot support is in satisfactory situation but thats useless in home usage. So few months my @ss! Still too fresh project to see it coming near average consumer in next year, but definetly intresting project.
Is the name. LinuxBIOS may have a negative connotation to the average user, implying that it only works with computers that run the Linux operating system.
I suppose this could work out to be a minor point, but it may scare joe computer user away from it as an alternative if they think it is geared towards any one particular O.S. over the other-specifically if it is one they don’t know or necessarily care to use.
As I said, it may be a minor point, but time will tell…
OEMs aren’t going to adopt an open source BIOS; hence, the only folks who are going to use it are those hobbyists & or embedded devs who can/are able to replace the BIOS chip on their mobos — which is practically nobody.