A new way for users to hose their systems?

[Clp727]

nihil,
I agree. I wouldn't buy a PC, or motherboard that has that capabilty. I would hope that the average user wouldn't either. I had read other articles about this technology...it creeps me out! It's too "Big Brother" for me. In one article that I read, the software manufacturers were real supportive of this new firmware technology. If I can find the articles I will post them. (If its okay) Im sure a good google search will turn up tons of info.
I definitely think that an open BIOS would be a problem for a novice. I can see lot's of problems there!

[nihil]

Clp727

Sure the software boys will be all for it to prevent piracy, but the hardware crowd are working on very low margins and are the people who will actually lose.

Hey, a BIOS is not rocket science?.........I could get one written in China or India?, and most of the MoBos are made in China?

[The Grunt]

MICROSOFT is the main supporter of a system like this... Had to do with their new copyright scheme planned for longhorn...

[ZT3000]

Reading the linked article:

'Evil' companies?
Stallman argues instead that Intel is not doing enough and BIOS makers are not needed. Instead, he wants information.

"We're not wanting to do anything with the BIOSes from Phoenix or any of the others," he said. "We're not asking them to do anything, any more than we're asking Microsoft to do anything. These (companies) are evil. You can't expect them to do anything just because you ask them to. Our goal is to escape from them ."

Okay, whose zoo is missing a looney bird??

"You'd need to know the confidential information about the chips to write" a free BIOS, Insyde Software's Joseph said. Right now, "that info is only available on old hardware that nobody really cares about anymore."

If nobody really cares but HE really cares, then logic adds up to say "He's a nobody".

It's not Christmas, so where'd this fruitcake come from?

Too many 70's drugs. Weird.

[Clp727]

Well, I googled for the articles. The closest thing that I could find is this:

http://msn-cnet.com.com/Chipmakers+p...3-5647090.html

"Chipmakers push ahead with new tech"

Intel set sights on chips to ease online sharing of music, films and games, as AMD looks into helping computers run several operating systems simultaneously.

I think Stallman is worried about his mp3 collection.

[nihil]

Hi ZT~

I wonder if I put my Chinese Abacus and stand-mounted magnifying glass on e-bay, would he bid for it................?

And somewhere I probably still have that microcode proggy for programming your own CPU..........

[phishphreek]

I can think of at least one instance where they are implementing DRM in hardware...

The Cell...
http://www.blachford.info/computer/Cells/Cell0.html

More interesting is part 2...

DRM In The Hardware

Some will no doubt be turned off by the fact that DRM is built into the Cell hardware. Sony is a media company and like the rest of the industry that arm of the company are no doubt pushing for DRM type solutions. It must also be noted that the Cell is destined for HDTV and BluRay / HD-DVD systems, any high definition recorded content is going to be very strictly controlled by DRM so Sony have to add this capability otherwise they would be effectively locking themselves out of a large chunk of their target market. Hardware DRM is no magic bullet however, hardware systems have been broken before - including Set Top Boxes and even IBM's crypto hardware for their mainframes.

http://www.blachford.info/computer/Cells/Cell2.html

Another is Microsoft's "palladum" which has been renamed "Trusted Computing"
http://www.cl.cam.ac.uk/users/rja14/tcpa-faq.html

[The Grunt]

Another is Microsoft's "palladum" which has been renamed "Trusted Computing"

Thats what it's called! I couldn't remember. When did they change the name?

[phishphreek]

Originally posted here by The Grunt
Thats what it's called! I couldn't remember. When did they change the name?

When the whole IT industry criticized them for trying to get hardware manufacturers to implement DRM in the hardware. It was in virtually every tech mag out there. It got such a bad name that they changed the name... So, Trusted Computing is what they call it now.

Looks like it was around Jan 25 2003...
http://www.microsoft.com/presspass/f...alladiumwp.asp

Oops... guess they call it

"Next-Generation Secure Computing Base for Windows." now.

I was wrong.

[spheraice]

I wouldn't worry too much about the user playing with the bios.......it isn't*should not be* as easy as pressing F2 to randomly change your bios settings...