Re: [colorforth] /. and the new bios

[kbk@xxxxxxxxx (Kurt B. Kaiser)]

<maslicke@xxxxxxxxxxx> writes:

> There are many people who would like to cripple the PC. There 
> is something known as DRM (Digital Rights Managment), the 
> intention is to impose artificial copying restrictions on 
> digital media. I have even heard of DRM in the bios, 
> althougth I don't exactly the mechanisms employed. Microsoft 
> has been the major proponent of this crippleware.

http://www.eff.org/IP/DRM/

It's much worse than that:
http://www.gnu.org/philosophy/can-you-trust.html
http://www.cl.cam.ac.uk/users/rja14/tcpa-faq.html

> I don't know what the intentions of Intel, however I share your
> skepticism of the new bios potential. 

Intel will accomodate what MS and big media want.  They are the
source of most new processor and chipset sales.

We are already seeing crypto HW on the latest boards.  Check
out VIA Eden:
http://www.via.com.tw/en/Products/eden_n.jsp
(a very cool processor/board, btw)

Although MS keeps changing the name and the plans, the goal remains
the same.  They will promote this as the solution to rampant computer
security failures, spam, etc., and they will be believed by the people
who count.

Even if we come up with a HW work-around, it's likely that at some
point in the not too distant future that you will not be able to
connect to the Internet without a certified, signed OS running on
certified, signed HW.  There will be a lot of lobbying for this
because it will sell a lot of HW/SW.  Of course, there will be a lot
of resistance, at least for a while, because people won't want to
discard their perfectly good computers.  So it's likely to happen
in stages, like boiling the frog.

At some point we will need a separate net if we want to communicate
freely using our own tools.  Will it be allowed?

-- 
KBK

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