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Why OEM's Should Avoid (possibly) Making It Harder To Install Linux.

Posted by Rpim on · 13 comments
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LXer Feature: 24-Jan-2012

There has been a lot of worry lately about windows 8 secure boot making it (possibly) much harder or impossible to install certain Linux's (possibly all) on pcs with windows 8 secure boot. So I decided to list the arguments against making it possibly harder or impossible to install Linux's.

There has been a lot of worry lately about windows 8 secure boot making it (possibly) much harder or impossible to install certain Linux's (possibly all) on pcs with windows 8 secure boot. So I decided to list the arguments against making it possibly harder or impossible to install Linux's.

1. Antitrust lawsuits

There is a possibility of by making it possibly harder or impossible to install Linux that this would spark an antitrust lawsuit against the OEM. And I know that basically no OEM would want to be sued something like nearly 300 million.

2. Potentially destroying some users freedoms

This could potentially destroy users freedoms to install certain software that gives them the freedom to change the software just about anyway they like and the freedom to use the software for just about anything they like providing that it is legal.

3. Linux desktop market share is growing

The Linux desktop market share grew by almost 50% last year according to one site. Those users could be likely to not buy from an OEM that makes it possibly harder or impossible to install Linux.

4. Loads of people have signed a statement against it

Loads of people are against OEMS from removing the freedom to install Linux if you look at this site http://www.fsf.org/campaigns/secure-boot-vs-restricted-boot/... . They have committed themselves that they won't buy from an OEM that stops them install Linux. And there are more people who are against it who haven't signed it.

5. Loads of enterprises use Linux on there servers

These enterprises are likely to also want to install Linux on the desktop computers they buy so there unlikely to buy from such an OEM that makes it possibly harder or impossible to install Linux's.

I hope that if an OEM looks at this they will see sense!

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Comments (13)

Rebuttal

Jeff91 ·
1.) Who is going to back this anti-trust law-suit? I think if there where enough people around to scare these OEMs with law-suits, we would have enough of a user base to get Linux pre-installed from these same vendors.

2.) As sad as it is to say most users simply don't care about software freedom (or even know it exists). The fact that closed source software is still so commonly used is a testament to this fact.

3.) Lies, damned lies and statistics. One person says we have 1% another person says we must have at least 10%. One person says we grew last year, one person says we shrank. Lets just keep doing what we do - producing great software. Who cares about percentages?

4.) Because we know those online petitions have done so much for so many things over the years. You know, like getting Blizzard to port their games to Linux (or any other of dozens of them that have piles of signatures).

5.) Your first sentence is very, very true. With regards to the second part though, I'm fairly certain these enterprise systems come with the correct enterprise operating system by default (or no OS).

Final Note:

Worst case scenario, should OEMs make it so you can't install Linux on Windows pre-installed systems, this simply means we will all be done paying the Windows tax. Everyone will have to instead purchase systems from vendors that actually support Linux.

~Jeff
tracyanne ·
I do already. The only computers I buy these days come from a vendor (a factory actually) that bulds computers you can install your choice of operating system. The License you pay for the OS depends on the OS you choose.
flufferbeer ·
The title of this got to me.

Isn't it not untrue that the title shouldn't not be Why non-OEM's Should Not Avoid Not (less possibly) Making It Less Harder To Not Install Linux

or

Is it not false that the title should be Why OEM's Should Encourage (possibly) Making It Less Harder To Not Install Linux

or

Is it true that the title should be Why OEM's Should Encourage (possibly) Making It Harder To Install Linux

or even by some far out chance

Why OEM's Should Encourage (possibly) Making It Easier To Install Linux???

2c
JaseP ·
Flufferbeer has us right it comes off like a triple negative, like watching Pinnochio in the last Shrek movie.
chalbersma ·
I think the biggest reason OEMs won't properly implement secure boot lies in the number of users who pirate windows.
JaseP ·
I think that the OEMs implementing secure boot comes from another boot,... The one owned by M$, that M$ is wearing,... and the sole of which is firmly planted on the OEMs necks,... If loopholes exist that will allow Linux or other OSes to be installed, it will come from the rogue factions in China,... Meaning, we, as Linux users will have the choice of; (a) those mainstream OEMs gracious enough to allow an open boot policy & (b) custom OEM builds from low quality Chinese manufacturers.



I predict that, of new systems designed with Win8 in mind, we will have, at most, 30% of those able to run Linux. I'm guessing the actual percentage to be closer to 20%.
Rpim Story submitter ·
Sorry I got the title wrong it was supposed to be "Why OEM's Should Avoid (possibly) Making It Harder To Install Linux".
BernardSwiss ·
@chalbersma

But, all those computers come with Windows already.

...oh. I get it. You mean Microsoft's definition of "pirating Windows". That's the kind of nonsense that motivated me to learn Linux, in the first place.

Rpim Story submitter ·
Hi, thanks for making these points.

Heres my second round of points:

1.In Australia I've heard that people have made complaints about windows 8 secure boot (I think this might lead to an antitrust lawsuit.)

2. Yes I know a lot of people and companies don't care about freedom issues, I were just trying to make people (and possibly OEMS) aware.

3. I know there are people claiming Linux has around 10% of the market share. But I believe 1.41% is fairly accurate.

4. Yes I know petitions aren't always effective but you could say that the petitions against PIPA and SOPA were effective. And for around 23,000 people to be against windows 8 secure boot is a fair number.

5. Yes but that probably means that OEMS who stop you disabling secure boot will loose out in money.
JaseP ·
@Rpim:

Your #3,... I disagree vehemently. MS's own figures from the Halloween Documents put Linux adoption at somewhere around 5 to 7%. And I don't believe Linux has LOST market share. I can believe it's a static rate (increases in numbers but not percentage). But it's too easy to find support for obscure things in Linux. And it's not the same people helping all the time.

Untitled

Rpim Story submitter ·
Sorry I got the title wrong it was supposed to be "Why OEM's Should Avoid (possibly) Making It Harder To Install Linux".
flufferbeer ·
@Rpim, Thanks! I think it's much clearer now, even though it has a mild double-negative hint of a need for OEM's to AVOID NEGATIVE actions.

It still seems to me that a better title accentuating the positive is "Why OEM's Should Encourage (possibly) Making It Easier To Install Linux".

Just my own 2c.
tracyanne ·
I understood you ther first time. I'm used to barse ackwards statements.

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