If MS rams this hardware change through, nothing but signed MS software will run.That would be difficult to accomplish. Linux runs on a wide variety of CPUs. So while it is true that x86 CPUs from Intel and AMD are the most cost-effective, especially when you figure in the economy of scale in motherboards, etc., it certainly isn't the case that MS could shut Linux out of usable high-performance CPUs. And if Intel thought to come out with a "trusted Linux" distro, it be a giant flop. I also hear a distinct silence on this from Apple.
Hobbyists aren't going to want to go out and buy high-end hardware, except possibly for the gamers, they want to run their stuff on cheap PCs as they do now. Linux developers, especially the Freshmeat crowd, can't afford to totally re-tool to another hardware platform.
What MS proposes would require a re-design of the PC hardware, so everything on the board up to and including the keyboard, screen and speakers is encrypted to evoke "trust" and to control content copying. The article specifically mentions public key cryptography, and if MS controls the keys, they'll control the platform, and what you can do with it.
And if Intel thought to come out with a "trusted Linux" distro, it be a giant flop.
The distro, more than likely, if Microsoft controls the keys.
I also hear a distinct silence on this from Apple.
That's not hard to figure out. Apple doesn't deal with x86 architecture, so if MS screws it up that's potentially more business for Apple.