Battle brews over unlocking PC secrets

CNet News ^ | 5 April 2005 | John G. Spooner

[Paridel]

Stallman may be a socialist, but he's right on this one.

Except that there are multiple companies selling PC BIOS.

And I wouldn't buy a DRM enabled BIOS if I could buy one from someone else without it.

How exactly would a DRM enable BIOS work? I'm a little confused. Are you just talking about checking the validity of the operating system before booting? Because after that you don't really need it for much.

-paridel

[Paridel]

and open hardware archetecture

I'm confused about what you mean here?

Most of our hardware architecture is open, in the sense that all the interfaces to the hardware are widely published and known.

Put another way: Most hardware is open in the black box model, that is as long as the interface is open it doesn't matter how it is implemented.

The only reason to get details on the implementation is if you want to rip it off.

I am involved in developing hardware (among other things) so if I'm missing something please let me know, while I'm certainly not someone who could make a difference I'm certainly interested in this allegation that I'm restricting peoples freedom somehow.

-paridel

[Paridel]

Stallman is an idiot. It's that simple.

When was the last time Stallman released useful code himself?

The sad thing is that his ramblings on software actually make more sense than his political views:

Stallman on Politics

-paridel

[B Knotts]

The problem isn't so much how things are in the present, but how they may become in the future. If Microsoft can figure out a way to strong-arm manufacturers into creating a situation where Linux can't run, they will.

If the BIOS is open-source, that makes it a lot harder for Microsoft to do so.

[Constitution Day]

Read tomorrow

[HAL9000]

Err, BIOS is an acronym for "Basic Input/Output System"

Open Firmware is not a "Basic Input/Output System". You can't call BIOS on a Mac - unless you're running an x86 emulator like Microsoft VirtualPC.

[rkhampton]

RARELY is there a need to update the BIOS.

All mainboard manufacturers recommend checking for a BIOS update when you receive a new mainboard and update it if there is.

Uh.., excuse me but isn't that kind of RARE occasion?

[kezekiel]

And I wouldn't buy a DRM enabled BIOS if I could buy one from someone else without it. How exactly would a DRM enable BIOS work? I'm a little confused. Are you just talking about checking the validity of the operating system before booting? Because after that you don't really need it for much.

Closed BIOSes can be used to uniquely identify a system, and disable access to the system's various components if an "authorized" operating system is not detected. Imagine buying a Dell with a DRM-enabled BIOS. Comes with Longhorn pre-installed. You decide at some point that you want to install an old copy of 2000 that you own... but your computer won't boot because, well... Microsoft and Dell can no longer assure that your computer will be *safe*. Imagine the ability to perform certain tasks, buy certain media, play certain music types, are impossible because of the "security safeguards" put in place through Palladium & DRM.

Expect the worst from this attempt to develop a new, closed BIOS, and you may only be pleasantly surprised. Expect the best, and prepare to be screwed.

[Paridel]

Linux is not the only competitor to Windows. There are dozens of other operating systems people run on their machines. Maybe you mean if MS can figure out how to prevent all of these O/S from running?

If Microsoft can figure out a way to strong-arm manufacturers into creating a situation where Linux can't run, they will.

I don't think I'm going to be able to convince you that this statement really doesn't make any sense. To me it's equivalent to saying "if Ford could force you to only drive it's cars on the road I couldn't use my Chevy anymore" -- that is, it is possibly a true statement, but certainly isn't ground in reality. You are certainly Microsoft's pull in the industry and underestimating the technical ability of the rest of us.

If the BIOS is open-source, that makes it a lot harder for Microsoft to do so.

A DRM scheme for PC's would either
1. require a lot more hardware support than a BIOS
2. would be mostly software based anyway.

I mean what would the DRM BIOS do exactly? Checksum some part of the O/S or halt boot? Yeah... that sounds real hard to get around ;-) Seriously, a few hours recording pulses on the motherboard traces and we would be done. The point is it won't get to that though.

Personally after some of the code I've read in the Linux kernel I don't think I would trust my machine to an OpenBIOS.

-paridel

[Richard Kimball]

The worst kept PC Secret:

WINDOWS SUCKS!!!!!!!

Don't tell anyone.