Re: [Nolug] Microsoft Story of Interest

On Tuesday 30 December 2003 10:01 pm, Ron Johnson wrote:
> On Tue, 2003-12-30 at 13:47, Chris Reames wrote:
> > Good article, I agree.
> > I think there is something profoundly ironic that Intel and Microsoft
> > team up to create something referred to as EFI (ify).
> >
> > I am intrested in the competitive products by Phoenix, but the Senior
> > Vice President seems to be a Microsoft dropout.
> >
> > "Everybody is looking to this...But only when it becomes an industry
> > standard will the (PC) industry adopt it," said Tim Eades, senior vice
> > president and general manager of corporate marketing and products at
> > Phoenix. "When it becomes a standard, we will investigate it."
> >
> >
> > I guess once it becomes the illegitimate bastard built into the
> > motherboards, the industry will have to adopt it. Especially if it
> > prevents Linux from running as the OS. I wonder if Microsoft will put
> > a EFI BIOS flash in the Longhorn install program. Oooo, Maybe as an
> > undocumented feature *puke*
>
> It might not be as bad as we fear. Intel sells a *lot* of chips
> into linux servers, which are their high margin products...
>
> However, if I were a really malevolent virus writer, I'd be
> salivating right now (unless the EFI "drivers" are embedded in
> EPROMs).
>
> > -----Original Message-----
> > On Behalf Of gonzeaux bevarde
> >
> >
> > http://news.com.com/2100-7337_3-5131787.html?tag=nefd_lede
> --
> -----------------------------------------------------------------
> Ron Johnson, Jr. ron.l.johnson@cox.net
> Jefferson, LA USA

I have a few random thoughts on this:

1) Unless this new code comes from the US, it likely won't be a MS
derivative. Nobody in Asia wants to pay licensing fees when free
is an option, so it might even be Linux based.

2) If this new system makes it easier to support something like a small
Compact Flash card to hold all that is needed to boot, including an OS,
then I can see an upside. No more special hardware or programs to
flash an EEPROM. Any computer with a USB port could bail you out.

3) This is years down the road. Micros~1 marketshare might be less
than Apple if they continue to churn out software of the quality and value
for which they are already a household word. The group of household
words which include AIDS, SARS, Mad Cow, West Nile, Flu, etc. You
get the idea. Same for Intel, unless they come out with a Hammer clone
soon. Yes, I know it's in the works, they just denying it until they think
the time is right.

4) It seems a prerequsite for this that the hardware be standardized
at the lowest levels, meaning that chipsets all act the same and use
the same instructions. If not, how would this work? If you have to have
some code beyond EFI, then aren't we back at the BIOS we have now?

Andy Johnson

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Received on 12/31/03