Slashdot Mirror
Phoenix's BIOS Roadmap
An anonymous reader writes "Phoenix Technologies Ltd. unveiled a vision and roadmap for a next generation of system BIOS firmware that the company calls "core system software" today, at its Strategy 2004 conference. As defined by Phoenix, CSS is a new category of core system firmware that transcends the boundaries of traditional BIOSes and to deliver "extensible firmware that provides the critical foundation of trust, manageability, and connectivity required for networked computing," in a broad range of devices including desktop and laptop PCs, servers, and handhelds gadgets. Specific technologies that Phoenix is integrating into its d-NA CSS firmware include: support for the Trusted Computing Group (TCG) specification, remote diagnostics and error-checking, intelligent configuration checking and integrated system policy management, automated provisioning of servers and server virtualization, "radically enhanced" device power management, embedded TCP/IP, remote management functions including dynamic provisioning, load balancing and software resource control, and an XML and SOAP standards-based interface to CSS functions."
Conspiracy theorists: "NOES!!!! TEH B|0S HAS TEH DRM!!! N0 MORE LINUX!!!!!111"
I, for one, welcome our new well-secured extensible BIOS overlords.
SCREW THE ADS! http://adblock.mozdev.org/ Proud user of teh Fox of Fire - Registered Linux User #289618
Its only to muck with the Slashdot editors. They might have to actually read to see which "DeCSS" the story is talking about before posting a dupe.
That to prevent confusion with the popular web-standard technology CSS, the CSS BIOS technology will before release be renamed to "Firebird", a name chosen after an exhaustive search based on the fact that it kind of describes "Phoenix" and hey, it's like the car.
To match this, and as part of the promotional effort for Firebird, they will be rebranding most of their products with animal-inspired names, for example renaming their remote-BIOS-diagnostics-and-administration technology to "Longhorn", a name to evoke images of stability. The entire promotional push will be branded to stockholders as the System Consolidation of Operations project, or SCO for short, overall an effort to draw together their product line for more clarity to consumers.
Irritable, left-wing and possibly humorous bumper stickers and t-shirts
letting my BIOS do one thing and do it well ?
Embedded TCP/IP ? Huh ? Now I'm going to get hacked on the hardware level ?
Sunny Dubey
CSS is taken and is already confused by many a begining developer with eXtensible Stylesheet Language. Name it BIOS.NET instead.
I won't be happy until my bios comes with a relational database, skinnable 3d windowing environment and a full J2EE stack.
In addition, I should be able to download bug fixes, new features and skinds from a website, call it biosupdate.com
Come on Phoenix, listen to your customers!
I can't wait for the first flashable Linux-on-BIOS distro. Of course, the DRM system probably won't allow it.
If a job's not worth doing, it's not worth doing right.
The x86 assembly language skillz of your average skript kiddie/virus 'coder' is nowdays almost non-existing. When your virus is developed using visual basic, it kinda limits your ability to cause havoc...