Author Topic: FSF takes Win 8 Secure Boot fight to OEMs
Aerlinthian 
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Subject: FSF takes Win 8 Secure Boot fight to OEMs
The Register posted:
PC makers are being lobbied to install Windows 8 on machines in a way that will afford users the freedom to boot Linux or any other operating system.

The Free Software Foundation (FSF) is urging PC users to sign a statement demanding that OEMs which implement Windows 8's UEFI Secure Boot do so in a way that allows individuals to disable it, or that the PC makers provide a "sure-fire way" to install and run an operating system of the user's choice.

The statement says that giving this choice will protect users' rights and security. The FSF has also hinted at a boycott on buying Windows 8 PCs. "We commit that we will neither purchase nor recommend computers that strip users of this critical freedom, and we will actively urge people in our communities to avoid such jailed systems," the FSF concludes.

Continued

 

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Karsus_the_Great 
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Subject: FSF takes Win 8 Secure Boot fight to OEMs
I really want them to win that fight, but a part of me really doesnt. Not because of any love of microsuck, but because this could really be a driving force to get them to fix linux video drivers, which is the only reason to not be on linux at this point.

 

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Marzuk 
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Subject: FSF takes Win 8 Secure Boot fight to OEMs
Well, that and as soon as my software works as well on Linux as it does on the platform its intended for. And by that I mean double clicking an executable, clicking next a few times, and having a working program.

 

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Aerlinthian 
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Subject: FSF takes Win 8 Secure Boot fight to OEMs
http://www.ubuntu.com/ubuntu/features/ubuntu-software-centre

 

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Karsus_the_Great 
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Subject: FSF takes Win 8 Secure Boot fight to OEMs
Ya, it's really not that hard. Allow the program to be run with wine and you can double click run it like normal.

The only current problem I have is the lack of graphic support, especially direct x. I have got alot of my games to play, even the steam ones, but they are not quite as smooth as windows side.

The other one is multiscreen support, which is becoming more and more mainstream. It's not too bad if you run only 1 or 2 screens on nvidia and SLI is actually supported. Going 3 screen on nvidia linux side is painful. Very very painful. You could go with ati, but ati driver support isnt even 1/10th of nvidia's which is still not even close to what it needs to be.

 

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Vyxar 
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Subject: FSF takes Win 8 Secure Boot fight to OEMs

http://mjg59.livejournal.com/138973.html (RedHat Blogger) posted:


Microsoft requires that machines conforming to the Windows 8 logo program and running a client version of Windows 8 ship with secure boot enabled. The two alternatives here are for Windows to be signed with a Microsoft key and for the public part of that key to be included with all systems, or alternatively for each OEM to include their own key and sign the pre-installed versions of Windows. The second approach would make it impossible to run boxed copies of Windows on Windows logo hardware, and also impossible to install new versions of Windows unless your OEM provided a new signed copy. The former seems more likely.

A system that ships with only OEM and Microsoft keys will not boot a generic copy of Linux.



Wow. Looking like I will be skipping Windows 8 if anything like that comes to pass. (Seems like we're due for the bad windows cycle anyway)

 

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Karsus_the_Great 
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Subject: FSF takes Win 8 Secure Boot fight to OEMs
Vyxar posted:

http://mjg59.livejournal.com/138973.html (RedHat Blogger) posted:


Microsoft requires that machines conforming to the Windows 8 logo program and running a client version of Windows 8 ship with secure boot enabled. The two alternatives here are for Windows to be signed with a Microsoft key and for the public part of that key to be included with all systems, or alternatively for each OEM to include their own key and sign the pre-installed versions of Windows. The second approach would make it impossible to run boxed copies of Windows on Windows logo hardware, and also impossible to install new versions of Windows unless your OEM provided a new signed copy. The former seems more likely.

A system that ships with only OEM and Microsoft keys will not boot a generic copy of Linux.



Wow. Looking like I will be skipping Windows 8 if anything like that comes to pass. (Seems like we're due for the bad windows cycle anyway)



No lie, although Vista was bad enough for a few cycles.

I hope they get this fixed. There can be no legitimate reason for this since what this is intended to prevent will not be stopped by this. Physical access = access. I will give up windows before I give up Linux.

 

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