What the **** !!! OS is not Hardware...

WINDOWS 8 SUPPORTED PC CAN'T RUN OTHER OS !!!

After years of trying to cut off Linux growth as a desktop platform on x86 and x64 PCs, Microsoft may have actually figured out a way to stop Linux deployments on client PCs dead in their tracks.

At the very least, Linux deployment will be hindered on any Windows 8-certified machines to come, as new requirements for the Windows 8 logo come to light.

Red Hat's Matthew Garrett was one of the first to notice that according to the new logo rules, all Windows 8 machines will need to be have the Unified Extensible Firmware Interface (UEFI) instead of the venerable BIOS firmware layer. BIOS has been pretty much the sole firmware interface for PCs for a long time.

The EFI system has slowly been making headway in recent years, and right now EFI firmware is compatible with Windows supporting the GUID Partition Table (GPT), OS X/Intel, and Linux 2.6 and beyond machines. EFI is seen as a better hardware/software interface than BIOS, since it is platform-agnostic, runs in 32- or 64-bit mode, and GPT machines can handle boot partitions of up to 9.4 zettabytes. (That's 9.5 billion terabytes to you and me.)

EFI, and the later UEFI specification, is not the problem for Linux. The problem is Microsoft's other requirement for any Windows 8-certified client: the system must support secure booting. This hardened boot means that "all firmware and software in the boot process must be signed by a trusted Certificate Authority (CA)," according toslides from a recent presentation on the UEFI boot process made by Arie van der Hoeven, Microsoft Principal Lead Program Manager.

The slides, posted on Garrett's in a blog Tuesday afternoon, reveal Microsoft's plan to lock down the boot process, which Microsoft rightly points out has become a high-value target vector for injecting malware onto Windows PCs. To combat this, Microsoft is requiring all Windows 8 devices to have a hardened boot. Right now, even though there are EFI-ready Linux bootloaders and distros available, none of them are signed, Garrett reminded me.

It's not just a matter of replacing the UEFI system on the device with other, unencrypted, firmware. If all parts of the chain need to have a CA signature, then swapping out a machine's signed EFI layer with, say, an unsigned BIOS or EFI would not work. Garrett described the problem in more detail:

"Microsoft requires that machines conforming to the Windows 8 logo program and running a client version of Windows 8 ship with secure boot enabled. The two alternatives here are for Windows to be signed with a Microsoft key and for the public part of that key to be included with all systems, or alternatively for each OEM to include their own key and sign the pre-installed versions of Windows. The second approach would make it impossible to run boxed copies of Windows on Windows logo hardware, and also impossible to install new versions of Windows unless your OEM provided a new signed copy. The former seems more likely."

The upshot? Any device that ships with the manufacturer's keys and Microsoft's keys will not be able to boot a vanilla version of Linux.

The obvious solution--getting Linux distros signed so they can load on these machines--is clouded with uncertainty.

"Firstly, we'd need a non-GPL bootloader. Grub 2 is released under the GPLv3, which explicitly requires that we provide the signing keys. Grub is under GPLv2 which lacks the explicit requirement for keys, but it could be argued that the requirement for the scripts used to control compilation includes that. It's a grey area, and exploiting it would be a pretty good show of bad faith. Secondly, in the near future the design of the kernel will mean that the kernel itself is part of the bootloader. This means that kernels will also have to be signed. Making it impossible for users or developers to build their own kernels is not practical. Finally, if we self-sign, it's still necessary to get our keys included by ever OEM."

That's a whole lot of unsavory options to look forward to.

Garrett, for his part, is not panicking about the new requirement. He's hopeful that OEMs will be able to include an option in their UEFI firmware to disable the secure booting feature. Even if that is allowed by Microsoft, one thing is clear: dual-booting systems will be out of the picture if Windows 8 boots always require a hardened boot environment. It may very well be that once you turn off secure boot (if you can), you won't be able to run Windows 8 again on that machine, until you re-secure the boot process.

Microsoft is spinning this as a way to finally lock down the boot process, but I can't help but wonder if the side-benefit of blocking Linux boots was something expected as well.

Something to which we need to pay attention, that's for sure.

Linux goes 20th Birthday: 10 Cool Devices That Embrace You

The Linux operating system is not just for nerds. Even though you may not realize it, chances are you probably have a version of Linux running right under your nose. It’s found its way into a multitude of devices, both large and small.

Today, Sept. 17, 2011, is the 20th anniversary of the date when the first Linux kernel (version 0.01) was released and uploaded to an FTP server by Linus Torvalds in Helsinki. Although Torvalds had been working on the code since April, 1991 (recognized by some as the birthday of Linux), it wasn’t until September of that year that he released the first Linux kernel to the world. That early iteration consisted of a mere 10,239 lines of code.

Fast-forward to the present day, where the Linux kernel 2.6.35 contains more than 13.5 million lines of code, and controls gadgets, devices and instruments you might never have expected. Take a look at our gallery below and be surprised by the ubiquity of this useful, versatile and compact operating system on its 20th birthday:

1. TiVo

Underneath the digital video recorder TiVo's user-friendly and popular interface is a modified version of Linux. We have a hunch that those Linux underpinnings are responsible for TiVo's snappy response and smooth video playback.

2. Android

The Android operating system is showing up in multitudes of handheld devices. It was created by the Open Handset Alliance, headed up by Google. Lots of smartphone providers place their own brand of user interface enhancements on top of Android, and there's a lot of tricky programming called middleware in between, but underneath? Good old Linux.

3. AT&T MiFi

This pocket-sized device gives users a mobile access point that makes it so multiple people can use a single 3G connection. That gives any Wi-Fi device the ability to go online practically anywhere. What's in it for you? Imagine never having to pay a $12.95 Wi-Fi charge in a hotel again, thanks to Linux.

4. Large Hadron Collider

When it's time to answer big questions, physicists are turning to Linux to run the Large Hadron Collider, the world's largest and highest-energy particle accelerator. Just what questions are they trying to answer with this $9 billion scientific instrument? They're trying to understand some of the deepest and most fundamental laws of physics, such as the structure of space and time.

5. Refrigerator (Electrolux Infinity I-Kitchen)

Why would you need Linux in your refrigerator? How about running a touchscreen on the front, storing your contacts and calendars, recipes and reminders, and letting you keep your family organized with electronic Post-it notes? And, some refrigerators are smart enough to remind you that it's time to buy more milk.

6. Sony Bravia HDTV

We tested the latest Sony Bravia connected TV, which brings you your favorite video-on-demand service from Netflix or Amazon and a lot more. That's thanks (in part) to its Linux underpinnings. Of course, it can show you the latest 3-D video, and the one we tested was even smart enough to turn itself off if there was no one sitting in the room.

7. Chumby

This little supersmart alarm clock runs more than 1,000 apps, and it's all made possible by Linux under the hood. Don't let its diminutive size fool you -- this gadget can display video, call up your favorite Pandora Radio channels and remind you of appointments. Best of all, it's fun.

8. GPS (Tom Tom)

Bet you didn't know that GPS unit on your car's dashboard was running Linux. Humming away inside many Garmin, Tom Tom (and other) GPS navigators are versions of Linux. Now if the accuracy of the maps could measure up to that sharp Linux code running inside, we wouldn't have to recalculate so often.

9. Kindle

The electronics reader that made e-reading famous is the Amazon Kindle, and displaying its E-Ink screen with enough speed to make it a pleasure to use is -- you guess it -- starts with an "L."

10. Self-Driving Car

Self-driving cars, otherwise known as autonomous vehicles, are not perfect yet, but they're getting there. Many of them are running Linux, and researchers are using the operating system to find their way toward someday eliminating the need for traffic signals, driver's licenses, and maybe even rules of the road.