Will Secure Boot Cripple Linux Compatibility? 545
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.'"
Re:Organized trolling campaign on Slashdot (Score:4, Informative)
Re:"Freedom" (Score:4, 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.
Re:I predict.... (Score:4, 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?
Re:Windows is Oranges in this case (Score:5, Informative)
Re:What this really affects (Score:2, Informative)
Re:"Freedom" (Score:5, Informative)
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.