Posted on 04/21/2003 3:19:08 PM PDT by Eala
Unhhh, M$ thinks that only the hardware is yours. Everything else is on a conditional license from M$. Once you understand that, then all else follows.
With a name like Whitfield, how can one not be distinguished?
In any case, the government refuses to be excluded from the comings and goings on our computers and the internet. Just like most MS idiotware that does everything for you whether you want it to or not.... it's for our own good.
Actually, the seeds for the destruction for any large organization are already planted within itself. Sooner or later, Microsoft will do something that will open the door to their competitors.
I use Microsoft products because they meet my needs at a price I am willing to pay, but there is a price I am not willing to pay, at which point I will look for something else.
...or just toss the computer out, and get my life back. :-)
Whitfield Diffie is one of the half dozen or so top cryptographers in the world.
So9
They may not have the option; one of the ultimate requirements of the Palladium system is a "secure" boot process, so the BIOS won't even load a non-conforming, non-signed operating system. Thus, you can't even use another operating system unless it is signed by the central authority, who may have no desire or obligation to do so.
And thanks to DMCA-type laws (supported mostly by Democrats like Hollings, who are in the pockets of the entertainment media, but which have some stupid Republican backers as well), any attempt to create a work-around would be a felony.
Bump for later reading
Nefertiti@-->---
They've already signed on, as has AMD. They were a bit concerned about the signing issue, but feel confident that as long as they control the hardware (and thus the "top-level" authority), that it won't be a problem for them.
Dell already ships Red Hat Linux as an option. So do others. If Microsoft does get Intel to go with a secure BIOS line, Intel will still sell chips with a different BIOS to enable other OS'es
If the laws currently being proposed are allowed to pass (and they have a lot of support), Intel won't have an option to offer an alternative, because only "secure" (i.e., those that incorporate so-called digital rights management) operating systems will be legal. Linux could get approval by submitting itself to the signing authority, but it would no longer be the "free" model (i.e., build whatever / whenever you want) any longer.
Because if they don't other chip makers will fill the need.
AMD has already signed on as well, so the only alternative would be Via (whose x86 core is a full generation behind the competition). And if the legislation passes, it would be illegal to import them in any case. Of course, Intel could just sign a copy of Linux (Red Hat or some other distribution), but that won't really solve the fundamental problem, because Intel won't do so unless that particular build incorporates DRM / similar technologies. When systems like this are fully implemented, the days of having full control of your computer are over. You won't even be able to write code from scratch, since it will never run unless you have signing authority, which the corporations can't give out (even assuming they wanted to do so) without breaking the proposed laws.
The between-the-lines text is that RIAA is going to "lock down" your PC so that you cannot copy CDs, MP3s, etc. MS and Intel must be co-opted to make the scheme work.
Of course you can still capture an audio stream but there will be quality degradation--with some noise possibly deliberately injected. Who knows?
--Boris
Actually everyone calls him Whit. I have met the man myself. Very impressive guy.
It's worse than that. If you don't own the encryption keys, it's not your computer anymore.
Not only will your software expire if you don't pay the rent, all of your documents will be locked up too.
You might have a built-in rootkit that's exploitable by whomever wrote the software.
It would be a marketer's dream come true. Imagine logos, pop-ups, banners all over your screen and you can't turn them off... unless, perhaps, you pay an extra fee.... maybe.
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