A deal with BIOS maker Phoenix Technologies would allow the operating system to directly control hardware. It also raises concerns over who controls the software in PCs . Microsoft has expanded its relationship with BIOS maker Phoenix Technologies in a deal designed to more closely integrate the basic building blocks of the PC with the Windows operating system.
The relationship, announced this week, is designed to make PCs simpler and more reliable, the companies said. The move is likely to put consumer rights advocates on their guard, however, since both Microsoft and Phoenix are involved in plans to integrate digital rights management (DRM) technology at the operating system and hardware level. DRM is designed to give copyright owners more control over how users make use of software and content, but has been criticised as eroding consumer rights.
A BIOS, or basic input/output system, is the software that ties the operating system to a PC's hardware. Traditionally, it has carried out basic tasks such as hardware and system configuration, and has been standardised and simple enough to allow the installation of alternative operating systems, including Linux. Phoenix's Core System Software (CSS) is a next-generation BIOS with a more sophisticated integration of operating system and hardware, for example making it easier for system administrators to remotely monitor the hardware configurations of their systems. CSS is designed for non-PC systems such as blade servers and embedded industrial devices as well as traditional desktops.
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News source: ZDNet UK
The relationship, announced this week, is designed to make PCs simpler and more reliable, the companies said. The move is likely to put consumer rights advocates on their guard, however, since both Microsoft and Phoenix are involved in plans to integrate digital rights management (DRM) technology at the operating system and hardware level. DRM is designed to give copyright owners more control over how users make use of software and content, but has been criticised as eroding consumer rights.
A BIOS, or basic input/output system, is the software that ties the operating system to a PC's hardware. Traditionally, it has carried out basic tasks such as hardware and system configuration, and has been standardised and simple enough to allow the installation of alternative operating systems, including Linux. Phoenix's Core System Software (CSS) is a next-generation BIOS with a more sophisticated integration of operating system and hardware, for example making it easier for system administrators to remotely monitor the hardware configurations of their systems. CSS is designed for non-PC systems such as blade servers and embedded industrial devices as well as traditional desktops.
View: The full story News source: ZDNet UK
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The Matrix Reloaded has become the highest grossing R-rated film in history, raking in more than $734 million worldwide. The second installment's DVD, including hours of behind-the-scenes footage, a breakdown of the freeway chase, interviews with the cast and crew and a featurette on the making of The Animatrix, hits stores on October 14. And given Revolutions supposedly wraps up the fate of Zion and offers the final showdown between Neo and his virus-like nemesis Agent Smith, movie-biz observers say the final Matrix trip will do likely even brisker box office.
a) that a virus can affect a bios without this proposed change at all
b) that a virus would need real-mode access to make those changes
b. that is a restriction placed on it microsoft and bios oems to ensure a safe flash. it can be done in any mode. just takes a bit more programing.
It's as if MS is planning on being the one and only OS in the future, like in those movies where you see everything seems to run the same basic OS and it's all one part. Bad news for peopel who actually enjoy making their PCs work, like me.
I think Gates has an idea of how to shut out competition. Instead of going at it directly he just starts owning every part of a computer, putting MS into every part(Hardware designed for MS, BIOS system made for MS, etc...). And then in the name of 'integration and enhanced security and stability' he makes it SO integrated and designed for MS that alternative OSes won't work like Linux/BSD/OS2, thus shutting them out and still making Gates seem like a friendly guy.
ya, I agree with the viruses affecting bios, but some already did that before...but this would definitely make it easier to affect the bios. can just see BSOD screens on the bios startup...somebody please shoot me to get this ugly picture out of my head
Can you say DRM! Microsloth will have full control even if you don't use windows.
I see mother boards that all of a sudden won't install non microsloth approved software. Or silently reporting back to vole central all non windows systems.
Even assuming that you are 100% correct, you choose to install the OS, and you have to make provisions for your choices. It's like blaming a vendor for going all the way through the install process and then saying "hey, no support for my video card! This vendor sucks!" when there is a document clearly stating supportability prior to installation.
There are all kinds of hooks for different OS's in bios's these days. Check your own, I bet it even has an OS/2 switch in there. Still afraid?
NGSCB is 100% voluntary anyway, read the documentation (per my point above). It's not going to kill anything.
Microsoft Windows OS: Yes/No
Yes does what it does with DRM and Windows OSes and No reverts to your basic average BIOS so as not to interfere with Linux or whatever.
Wouldn't that make the most sense? If worse comes to worst, just buy a board without a Phoenix BIOS.
... and "no" would mean that the new MS DRM supporting hardware wouldn't work anymore. And so would a Phoenix BIOS without the MS switch. So people would be forced to keep the switch on, however that would imply Linux wouldn't run very well and you'd be a slave under DRM if using Windows.
Edit: oh yea and I can't wait to see a bios start to crash
And there isn't a bios on the planet that hasn't had its own share of problems either.
How many novice users do you think actually update their bios?
how many novices need a computer? less than %1 of the current ones
then they look at you as if they have no idea what you're talking about.
please dont offer yourself here
I can name a few times where the bios problems have prevented the use of a perfectly good piece of hardware, a hardware that Windows has drivers for and the hardware vendor has good support for.... but the bios failed.
Now imagine a world where Windows can actually detect and/or fix that problem for you.
now that is a joke
sfc is not a real repair service and you know it.
look up what automatic repair service. you wont find a microsoft product on the list.
I think that by doing this Microsoft aims at making the PCs more integrated, a bit like Macintosh computers. I think it is a good thing - the average end user will get a better product and the tech-enthousiast will always be free to install Linux, BeOS or whatever other OS he wants.
Now, I suppose a good response will be that Linux (and other OSS) can try to decypher NGSCG, but Microsoft is WELL-KNOWN for arbitrarily 'shifting' functions and interfaces to break competitors. There were found guily of this and other monopolistic behaviors. The advent of this will only make things 100X more difficult for other OSes to co-exist.
P.S. I think that Microsoft should have stuck to the "Palladium" name, rather than "NGSCB" Even though the new name is shorter, it is MUCH harder to type!
As for the DRM touches, I'm sure it'll be Windows specific. There have been OS specific hooks in BIOS's for years, this should be nothing new.
Wasn't there similar panic the first time a BIOS showed up with the switch for whether or not you're using a PnP OS? Oh horror of horrors!
Joking aside v.good post tho, I agree strongly.
The golden age of free computing will soon end. Prepare to be watched, and say goodbye to your privacy.
A vague example at best I admit, but at any rate the idea is the same.
You'd have to have an alternate set of securities or something...add a BIOS ADMINISTRATOR to the ever-growing list of backup operators and all that
There have been hooks in bios's for years for various OS's. Turn them off if you don't like them. Turn them on if you do. Phoenix is not going to lock out Linux or any other OS... that's not in their best interest or their bottom line.
If you believe you will have greater security problems as a result, remember that Windows isn't writing the BIOS, and noone ever said they would. And Phoenix and other BIOS vendors have all had their share of problems, totally independent of the OS running on top.
Quit the FUD and stick with the facts.
As for the NGSCB hooks, well .. all I can say is this: The people complaining the loudest are probably the reason why the NGSCB was created. This same kind of stuff was brought up with Windows Product Activation, yet people quieted down once a crack was found (irony). Flame away...
Last edited by 24542 on 04 Oct 2003 - 06:47
the out cry toned down but not quieted down. we are watching when xp becomes like win95 (scraped). then we will see microsoft true colors.
WPA is here to stay, every new product since XP has it. True colors or not. DRM might extend to the OS itself though.
I don't think the true value of support has any bearing on DRM, it has to do with a reasonable lifespan of the product. So I'm not sure what kind of point you were trying to make.
If you're implying that WPA will be impossible after 7 years, then it's just as easy for them to release a "remove WPA" patch at the end-of-life of the product, thus removing all further need for support on that element. It would be reasonable to assume -- to some degree -- that one would choose an operating system newer than 7 years old. To that end it might be beneficial to continue to support activation, with whomever chooses to actually use it (activation != support)
NOT good news....
Since when?
I want a link, a specific quote. I've read the same articles as you, but obviously I wasn't wearing my tinfoil at the time.
Don't be mad at me, just read the NGSCB documentation.
There's an awful lot of faith in your post, without a lot of actual fact behind it. I'm sure they'll make Linux work on top of the bios, easy.. but will they establish the NGSCB linux equivalent? I'm sure they will in time too. So? The winner is the digital media vendors, and the end users, the losers are the pirates.
But I seriously doubt there will be a better/worse issue here.
However, I remember an istance where I've had to flash the BIOS under NT 4.0 , after a HARD crash, in order to get the machine to boot.
Probably my 5am confion. =)
If you went out and bought a car, and were offered a car with "Widget 23" installed, then would you
a) cower in fear waving sticks and throwing stones at the unknown (caveman tactic #1)
b) find out everything about the new widget and what it can do for you and make an intelligent decision
Most everyone here is choosing option A. I would hope people would be willing to research the actual NGSCB factual information instead of throwing FUD and stones.
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