In that scenario,
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| Author | Content |
|---|---|
| nmset Dec 06, 2012 7:41 AM EDT |
what prevents the Linux Foundation from issuing their keys and request signature and inclusion from firmware providers ? There are not thousands of firmware providers and the LF is well known and respected. I guess they already thought at it, now what stopped them ??? |
| hughesjr Dec 06, 2012 8:36 AM EDT |
The Linux Foundation does not release distributions, each individual project releases its own. That is hundreds of keys, not one set. The firmware providers are not going to sign a key from the Linux Foundation that the Linux Foundation would give to anyone who wants it ... there is no "chain of trust" there, and the firmware providers might as well not even have the feature in the first place if "everyone" can gain access to the key. Bad guys also know how to download things off the internet and use them too. :) |
| penguinist Dec 06, 2012 9:48 AM EDT |
hughesjr wrote:The firmware providers are not going to sign a key from the Linux Foundation that the Linux Foundation would give to anyone who wants it ... there is no "chain of trust" there, Now we are finally getting to the key point here. Carla, your retraction should not be so apologetic. It is really all about who controls the platform. A firmware vendor can establish a platform key and with it "trust" Microsoft. Then Microsoft "trusts" Red Hat, Canonical, and maybe if it feels like it, the Linux Foundation. "trust" = control The control of the platform flows through Microsoft. By the way, if the firmware vendors are "trusting" only Microsoft on their Windows 8 platforms then it is a moot point whether the firmware vendor or Microsoft is providing the key. Microsoft has put itself squarely in a position of platform control. |
| nmset Dec 06, 2012 10:37 AM EDT |
So there's only one non-optional way out : don't buy PCs with Win8 logo, they are designed for Win8 and they don't care about the rest. It's easy for desktop PCs, less for laptops, the more so if we want a laptop with AMD CPU and Radeon graphics. Now if we don't do CPU intensive work, a tablet with keyboard like the Pengpod would do. Perhaps the tablet is the future for 'desktop' linux, as per MS will ! Don't know. |
| helios Dec 06, 2012 2:28 PM EDT |
I am fortunate enough to have enough quad core boards and chips stockpiled to last my lifetime. Myself, I can never see any need for a computer that has more than a quad core running at 2.8 per, and 8 gigs of RAM. Of course, the alleged quote by Bill Gates that "640K ought to be enough for anybody" proves out just how fast technology moves and I could be wrong. But in the event I do ever have to buy a computer, it will be from a trusted Linux machine distributor. Ultimately, it's not us who are going to pay the price, but the uninformed or the "Meh, I need Windows" crowd. As far as I am concerned, once people like that are educated and they still purchase a locked-down computer, then good enough for 'em. We can educate those in our circles and that might help, but I don't like the trend I am seeing now. People are not reacting well to Windows 8...unfortunately, there are no marketing efforts per se to let them know they have a choice, outside of Mac...and I don't see a lot of TV marketing for them these days anyway. |
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