Quote:
Originally Posted by haertig
I'm wondering how you feel about buying a computer and finding out later that it comes with only Microsoft's keys, secure boot enabled, and the user cannot disable secure boot? You probably wouldn't find this out until you went to install Linux on the box.
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You don't have to wonder. It would never happen. Buying the correct computer components for my use is second nature (and paramount to any who would seek to install any OS that wasn't already preinstalled).
Quote:
Originally Posted by haertig
Granted, most manufacturers/BIOSes allow the customer to disable secure boot. But not all do.
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Examples/links of some that don't, please. Mainstream stuff, please. Nobody who's buying cheap hardware to repurpose is doing so blindly. They know what they're doing.
Quote:
Originally Posted by haertig
And if they don't, I'll bet 95% or more of customers don't know how to hack their way around this and they are stuck with Windows forever.
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Nor would they want to. Those 95% are happy to be stuck with Windows. It's what they want. It wouldn't occur to them to switch. And on the rare chance one did want to, I'm betting they'd be resourceful enough to get help. The other 5% won't be troubled in the least.
Quote:
Originally Posted by haertig
Which was probably Microsoft's plan with their support for secure boot all along.This Windows lock-in is not advertised and is not easily discoverable prior to purchase.
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Sure it's easily discoverable. Ask a friend, not a salesperson. Everyone knows a few geeks.
Quote:
Originally Posted by haertig
( I imagine you build your own computers as I do mine. But I'm wondering, theoretically, for people that buy their computers, if this would be a caveat emptor situation in your opinion. Personally, I don't think it is, because it's not readily discoverable. )
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You imagine correctly. I build my own computers. But
caveat emptor still applies. If you want to use something for other than its advertised intent. You better be prepared to do your research. If it's important enough for someone, they'll find the answers. And if it's not important enough, they'll just use the the computer they bought in the manner that the huge majority of people do anyway.
Those who can; do. Those who can't; don't typically want to. Same as it ever was.
More people won't choose to switch OSes just because Secure Boot was disabled in their bios by default.
The argument that a non-negligible portion of society is somehow being hamstrung by the inability to easily repurpose purchased hardware is not a very convincing one, IMO.