Linked by Thom Holwerda on Thu 3rd Nov 2011 19:34 UTC, submitted by lucas_maximus
A big issue right now in the world of operating systems - especially Linux - is Microsoft's requirement that all Windows 8 machines ship with UEFI's secure boot enabled, with no requirement that OEMs implement it so users can turn it off. This has caused some concern in the Linux world, and considering Microsoft's past and current business practices and the incompetence of OEMs, that's not unwarranted. CNet's Ed Bott decided to pose the issue to OEMs. Dell stated is has plans to include the option to turn secure boot off, while HP was a bit more vague about the issue.
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RE: Comment by Soulbender
by lucas_maximus on Thu 3rd Nov 2011 21:58
in reply to "Comment by Soulbender"
Member since:2009-08-18
Angry much.
You are going off on one for the sake of it ... TBH I have heard more FUD from the FLOSS community than anyone about Windows 8 ..
But never mind you guys like to raeg about whatever.
As I keep saying OEMs would be mental to stop people booting Widnows 7 since most businesses have only or just started testing for Win7 ... and won't want to move til nearer 2020.
But you know you can keep on reacting on your emotions and talking crap .. since that is largely what most people do here.
RE[2]: Comment by Soulbender
by Thom_Holwerda on Thu 3rd Nov 2011 21:59
in reply to "RE: Comment by Soulbender"
Member since:2005-06-29
RE[2]: Comment by Soulbender
by Soulbender on Fri 4th Nov 2011 02:06
in reply to "RE: Comment by Soulbender"
Member since:2005-08-18
Angry much.
No.
You are going off on one for the sake of it
No.
As I keep saying OEMs would be mental to stop people booting Widnows 7 since most businesses have only or just started testing for Win7
So have I. I don't think most OEM's will prevent other OS to be installed or, in case of server hardware, even enable secure boot by default. That doesn't mean this isn't a potential problem and going off on a rant against RH/C/FSF and the FOSS community, who's trying to prevent the problem, is just lame.
Member since:2010-06-08
More from that MS blog post:
At the end of the day, the customer is in control of their PC...
OEMs are free to choose how to enable this support and can further customize the parameters as described above in an effort to deliver unique value propositions to their customers.
Sounds like an oxymoron to me. So is the user in control, or OEMs are free to choose how to enable/disable user's ability to control UEFI? Sounds like the second is more to the point, and "user is in control" is just empty PR talk.
RE[2]: Comment by Soulbender
by lucas_maximus on Thu 3rd Nov 2011 22:23
in reply to "RE: Comment by Soulbender"
Member since:2009-08-18
I will keep on arguing the same stuff whatever the evidence presented to me.</sarcasm>
Dell and HP have said they will support disable secure boot. Why don't you actually like raeg when they like "don't" do what they say. Since the statements are perfectly clear to me ... apparently not Thom ... I don't see what the problem is.
Member since:2009-08-05
From the MS blog:
"For Windows customers, Microsoft is using the Windows Certification program to ensure that systems shipping with Windows 8 have secure boot enabled by default,
"For Windows customers, Microsoft is using the Windows Certification program to ensure that systems shipping with Windows 8 have secure boot enabled by default,
Funny how Mr Bott does not mention that, eh? "It's a sensible thing to do, though - the majority would never enable the feature, and it'd be all for nothing.
As long as "enabled by default" doesn't imply "with no way to disable it", it's a perfectly fine choice IMHO.
News
Linked by Thom Holwerda on 06/20/13 6:17 UTC, submitted by MOS6510
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Linked by Thom Holwerda on 06/19/13 23:02 UTC, submitted by M.Onty
"Microsoft has sensationally abandoned its controversial plans to restrict the sharing of XBox One games, and has also removed daily online authentication requirements for its forthcoming console", reports The Guardian. They had no choice. Still a good move.
Linked by Thom Holwerda on 06/19/13 22:28 UTC
"A snippet of code in the Steam digital distribution platform has revealed that Valve may be planning to let users easily share their games with friends in the future. The Verge has verified the code's authenticity, which was originally spotted by a member of the NeoGAF gaming forum; the code references a 'shared game library' and a notification that would alert a user when their games are currently in use by a borrower." This would change the, uh, game.
Linked by Thom Holwerda on 06/18/13 22:33 UTC
Official Apple statement on PRISM and privacy: "Regardless of the circumstances, our Legal team conducts an evaluation of each request and, only if appropriate, we retrieve and deliver the narrowest possible set of information to the authorities. In fact, from time to time when we see inconsistencies or inaccuracies in a request, we will refuse to fulfill it." This is basically Apple re-publishing their earlier statement in a more official manner. You either believe it, or you don't.
Linked by Anonymous on 06/18/13 22:26 UTC
The open source Contiki operating system and its commercial Thingsquare distribution are making strides towards the connected home. According to a Computerworld article, a new LED light bulb manufacturer is putting small computers into their light bulbs. Each computer runs the Contiki OS, which gives each bulb an IP address and allows them to be controlled with a smartphone application. To connect the bulbs to the application, the bulbs use both Wi-Fi and the much lower power IEEE 802.15.4 mesh technology.
Linked by Thom Holwerda on 06/18/13 22:25 UTC
"Google asked the secretive Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court on Tuesday to ease long-standing gag orders over data requests it makes, arguing that the company has a constitutional right to speak about information it's forced to give the government. The legal filing, which cites the First Amendment's guarantee of free speech, is the latest move by the California-based tech giant to protect its reputation in the aftermath of news reports about sweeping National Security Agency surveillance of Internet traffic." Draining the ditch after the cow has drowned in it.
Linked by Thom Holwerda on 06/18/13 17:45 UTC
"I can't find one person who has been using the Nexus 7 for an extended period of time, and hasn't seen a massive downgrade in performance. Just what kind of downgrade are we talking here? I cannot pick up my Nexus 7 without experiencing problems like a lag of ten seconds, or more, just to rotate the display; touches refusing to acknowledged; stuttering notification panel actions; and unresponsive apps." Fully and utterly agreed. My Nexus 7 was blazing-fast and awesome for a few months, and at some point, it just started sucking. Just like that. I've tried loads of ROMs, and nothing helps.
Linked by Thom Holwerda on 06/18/13 17:32 UTC, submitted by poundsmack
A new release of the hobby operating system MenuetOS! The release notes are a bit non-descript, but you'll have to take what you can get: "updates and improvements (picview, httpc, ehci, ...)".
Linked by Thom Holwerda on 06/17/13 17:58 UTC
"The Internet is one of the most transformative technologies of our lifetimes. But for 2 out of every 3 people on earth, a fast, affordable Internet connection is still out of reach. And this is far from being a solved problem. There are many terrestrial challenges to Internet connectivity - jungles, archipelagos, mountains. There are also major cost challenges. Right now, for example, in most of the countries in the southern hemisphere, the cost of an Internet connection is more than a month's income. Solving these problems isn't simply a question of time: it requires looking at the problem of access from new angles. So today we're unveiling our latest moonshot from Google[x]: balloon-powered Internet access." Insane.
Linked by Thom Holwerda on 06/17/13 17:52 UTC
"MineAssemble is a tiny bootable Minecraft clone written partly in x86 assembly. I made it first and foremost because a university assignment required me to implement a game in assembly for a computer systems course. Because I had never implemented anything more complex than a 'Hello World' bootloader before, I decided I wanted to learn about writing my own kernel code at the same time. Note that the goal of this project was not to write highly efficient hand-optimized assembly code, but rather to have fun and write code that balances readability and speed. This is primarily accomplished by proper commenting and consistent code structuring." Just cool.More News »
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Member since:
2005-08-18
Mr Bott is pretty good at drumming up the sensationalism and FUD himself.
What movement against Secure Boot? The RH/Canonical/LF campaign is not anti-secure boot. Propaganda? For what? Having a choice? Is that somehow bad?
As for the confirmation by the leading PC makers...
HP's company line pretty much mean "I dont fscking know, ok? Wait while we figure out what's best for us".
That's hair-splitting. The blog post was made by Mr Sinofsky but the majority of the content written by Mr Mangefeste.
Funny how he takes the MS guys at their word but the LF guys are the devils minions, more or less. Yeah, Corporate propaganda is so much more trustworthy.
From the MS blog:
Funny how Mr Bott does not mention that, eh?
Also from the blog:
Yeah...anything not Windows 8 is old. No propaganda to see here. No sireeeee....
Blah blah blah, yadda yadda yadda. Much fud follows.
At the end of the day, this COULD become a problem so what's the harm in attacking it now BEFORE it actually becomes one? Sitting on your ass and hoping for the best isn't the wise choice.
Edited 2011-11-03 21:47 UTC