[Lancaster] windows 8 and uefi

[Simon Hobson]

mp wrote:

>Most ppl couldn't care less about software freedom ...

I think that's the key problem.

Talk to an i<something> owner about it and they cannot see what the 
problem is. Their walled garden appears to offer them everything they 
want, and they can't see what's missing or how providers are getting 
screwed over in the process.

Secure boot will be just the same. The vast majority of people won't 
even realise it's there, and of those that do, few will actually see 
a problem. From the manufacturers POV, their market is selling 
"Windows PCs" and they really really won't care about anyone else. So 
what is 0..1% of potential customers don't buy their hardware because 
of it - they'll gain far more by being "friends" with MS over Windows 
8. You only have to look at the state of non-WIndows support for 
peripherals to see that this is the case.

IMO many people are underestimating the threat - by assuming that 
non-secure boot will be an option. I find it hard to believe that MS 
won't (at least off the record) 'encourage' manufacturers to leave it 
out. We'd never know since the contracts are private - how would we 
know that manufacturer A gets a few cents/unit discount vs 
manufacturer B because they'd left out the ability to boot anything 
else ?

Even if a manufacturer does allow non-secure boot, from the user POV 
it means changing a BIOS setting whenever they switch OS. As people 
have said, it will be a huge psychological step to get past for a 
Windows user to try out "this strange new thing called Linux" (or 
insert other FOSS). And you can be 100% certain that sooner or later, 
there'll be another round of FUD based on how Windows is "secure" and 
Linux is "inherently insecure" because of it.

-- 
Simon Hobson

Visit http://www.magpiesnestpublishing.co.uk/ for books by acclaimed
author Gladys Hobson. Novels - poetry - short stories - ideal as
Christmas stocking fillers. Some available as e-books.