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Intel To Release Next-Gen BIOS Code Under CPL
An anonymous reader writes "Intel said today that it plans to release the 'Foundation code' of its next-generation firmware technology -- a successor to the PC BIOS -- under the Common Public License (CPL), an open source license, later this year. More than 20 years old, the BIOS (Basic Input-Output System) is the oldest software technology in PC platforms. Intel says its firmware Foundation code, a result of a project codenamed Tiano, 'provides that the successor to the BIOS will be based on up-to-date software technology.' The Foundation code is designed to be extended with new features and services, such as improved platform manageability, serviceability, and administrative interfaces which are too complex to implement in the old BIOS environment, according to Intel."
I never had a problem with Intel's processor ID. Every networked computer already has a unique MAC address. What is the difference?
MAC addresses can be changed by swapping out a $15 part and in some cases can be changed in firmware, so they're not an effective tracking/identification tool. Processor IDs are hardcoded and unique. Thankfully, they can also be turned off.
If a job's not worth doing, it's not worth doing right.
More information is in a similar article over at News.com.
They mention that proprietary BIOS's is one of the key obstacles to implementing proper power management (ie hibernation) under Linux.
- Neil Wehneman
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