Matthew Garrett Makes Available Secure Bootloader For Linux Distros 274
TrueSatan writes "Matthew Garrett, formerly of Red Hat, is providing a shim bootloader that will allow installation/booting of secure boot enabled computers. The shim is designed to chain boot GRUB (Grand Universal Bootloader) without the need for a distribution to obtain a key from Microsoft. Garrett asks that further contacts regarding the shim be made to him and not to Red Hat as he no longer works there and they may not have knowledge of the product."
Kudos (Score:4, Funny)
The man delivered! I really hate not being able to use GRUB or some other bootloader anymore. Why the heck can't I choose what to install on the computer I bought with my own money? Imagine you were Linux Torvalds trying to write your own operating system but in a computer with UEFI enabled.
The way to get the key is also particularly weird. It's like Microsoft has gone out of their way to make it so you need to use Windows to get a key. .CAB files, Silverlight applications, .exe to generate a key, etc.
You can't even choose not to enable UEFI anymore. I bought a 3 TB hard disk recently and the BIOS isn't able to see anything above 2 TB on a non-UEFI system without GPT partitions.
Re:Yay! (Score:5, Funny)
violating some sort of propitiatory BS
Yeah I really hate all that appeasing the gods BS, too.
Re:Clarification (Score:1, Funny)
Well, since Micro$oft requires that any Windoze 8 certified computers must use secure boot, it's very likely you'll get to enjoy this bullshit as well.
Read all about it: http://www.fsf.org/campaigns/secure-boot-vs-restricted-boot/statement/campaigns/secure-boot-vs-restricted-boot [fsf.org]
Re:Clarification (Score:5, Funny)
Micro$oft and Windoze? Have you recently emerged from 15 years in stasis? To bring you up to date...
Madonna is still shit and now looks like Iggy Pop.
9/11
Year of Linux on the desktop is imminent
The president's black
The Rolling Stones aren't dead
We sent cool shit to Mars
World didn't end but will end again later this month
Re:Clarification (Score:5, Funny)
And Duke Nukem Forever was released.
Re:Yay! (Score:5, Funny)
Cutting out the middle man is ALWAYS the right thing to do.
Next time you're sick, I'll call the undertaker.