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Will Secure Boot Cripple Linux Compatibility?

Posted by Unknown on from the security-through-totalitarianism dept.

MojoMax writes "The advent of Windows 8 is drawing ever nearer and recently we have learned that ARM devices installed with Windows 8 will not be able to disable the UEFI secure boot feature that many of us are deeply concerned about. However, UEFI is still a very real danger to Linux and the freedom to use whichever OS you chose. Regardless of information for OEMs to enable customers to install their own keys, such as that published by the Linux Foundation, there are still very serious and as yet unresolved issues with using secure boot and Linux. These issues are best summarized quoting Matthew Garrett: 'Signing the kernel isn't enough. Signed Linux kernels must refuse to load any unsigned kernel modules. Virtualbox on Linux? Dead. Nvidia binary driver on Linux? Dead. All out of tree kernel modules? Utterly, utterly dead. Building an updated driver locally? Not going to happen. That's going to make some people fairly unhappy.'"

6 of 545 comments (clear)

  1. Re:Organized trolling campaign on Slashdot by Tsingi · · Score: 4, Informative

    Oh fuck off.

  2. Re:"Freedom" by MrHanky · · Score: 3, Informative

    So taking away your freedom to tinker with a gadget you own is an inconvenience issue, not a freedom issue? I think it's more than rather inconvenient that you no longer own the objects you buy. It's a property issue, not an inconvenience.

  3. Re:I predict.... by Microlith · · Score: 3, Informative

    Just like the Motorola devices, whose boot chain is still unbroken and as a result hinders the ability for true 3rd party ROMs to appear?

  4. Re:Windows is Oranges in this case by Rennt · · Score: 4, Informative

    Vendors were already going to make devices to run Windows 8, and everyone was happy. Microsoft specifically asked vendors to build a device that can only run Windows 8.

  5. Re:What this really affects by ClioCJS · · Score: 1, Informative
    LMAO .. Your comment almost made it all worth it ;) I've been trolling online since the 80's, so it's really hard to try to get through to someone, as I'm usually just stomping on them instead. Occasionally, though, I feel like rising up and actually trying to get through to someone.

    ...Fuck it's hard.

    --
    -Clio
    Karma: Bad (mostly from not giving a fuck)
    Blog: http://clintjcl.wordpress.com
  6. Re:"Freedom" by Anne+Thwacks · · Score: 4, Informative
    Tablets won't be able to be fully certified by MS if they don't have secure boot enabled with no way of disabling it.

    IANAL, but this would appear to contravene European laws on restrictive trade practices. I can see another monopoly related court case on the horizon, and a possible way for Europe to pay of its bankers.

    --
    Sent from my ASR33 using ASCII