According to information, Microsoft will ask PC OEM to mengenable secure boot feature by default, and submit to the OEM to determine whether there will be a disable feature or not. However, it was protested by activists Open Source, because activation of UEFI secure boot feature is believed to interfere with installing and booting the Linux operating system.
Microsoft considers the secure boot feature is especially important, because it can block the activation of malware / spyware. Until now, Microsoft is overwhelmed with the act of malware / spyware that can interfere with the Windows operating system, because the malware is already loaded before the operating system is booted.
UEFI is the successor specification PC BIOS firmware interface that is outdated, and secure boot is one of the features of UEFI. Technically, UEFI will load the 'key' to match the 'key' of the operating system. If the 'key' is appropriate, then the OS, in this case Windows 8, will be bootable.
Often, the options available to get rid of malware is a Windows reinstall. Therefore, Microsoft believes that the activation UEFI boot secure a panacea to solve this problem.
Criticism Against Open Source Secure Boot feature
On the one hand, the Open Source perspective, if Microsoft is too dependent on the model of Apple's proprietary paradigm, it is absurd. Apple products, especially for the retail market, such as the Mac and ipod / phone / pad, all designed for the end user.
However, this is very different from the market in which Microsoft and Linux are now fighting. Pragmatism, a la the end user does not apply at all in this point. Here, marketnya is 'hard core computer scientist', who worked as a sysadmin, academics / researchers, and the open source community activist.
Here, the end user is expected to not hack the system, because the user interface is already disimplifikasi for the end user. Nuances that exist, end users do not really care whether Apple products he uses proprietary or open source. What matters is the product easy to use.
Free Software Foundation, as the mouthpiece of the Open Source activist, has released a complaint petition to Microsoft via the web. There are already many thousands of signatures on the petition. Meanwhile, Apple's proprietary real ecosystems are not considered a direct threat to open source, because they focus on the retail market / consumer.
The centralized model of Apple, which is designed for end users, obviously questionable efficacy when treated in this community. Not surprisingly, if the Open Source activists criticized the harsh policy of secure UEFI boot from Microsoft, as it seemed to want to implement a centralized hardware / software model of Apple.
In theory, it is 'key' of the Linux OS can be loaded on UEFI. It's just too time consuming, and not necessarily the OEM PC like this approach. Open Source community has been very cynical about Microsoft's approach to this, because it is part of a strategy of "embrace and extinguish 'them.
However, if secure boot Microsoft's strategy is itself to be afraid of? Should it be exaggerated, since the door is still open solution?
In contrast to Microsoft, which is the operating system market windowsnya is intersected with the Linux operating system, causing them to be in a position opposite each other.
Apple has chosen to abandon high end server market (with the abolition Mac Xserve server series), so let Windows and Linux to compete all-out here.
The example of Apple: 'Control Freak'
Microsoft does seem to follow Apple's move to become a 'Control Freak'. Apple has so far been very successful with its proprietary ecosystem, and tend to resolve security issues as well.
GUI Windows GUI was allegedly inspired by earlier versions of MacOS. Similarly, Apple's proprietary community building, which obviously is inversely related to the concept of Open Source, it also seems to be a source of inspiration Microsoft.
Look at all that Apple's proprietary community has become an inspiration for Microsoft to better integrate the software / OS to the hardware. From the early history of the establishment until now, Apple is one of Microsoft's source of inspiration.
Unlike the retail market, which is controlled by Apple, for desktop / server Microsoft and Apple continue to thrive shadowing. Therefore, the application of secure UEFI boot on a desktop PC / server would be to have a major influence for this market.
Centralized control software / hardware, which runs fine on a proprietary Apple community, it looks very promising if it is run on a Windows PC. Without much fuss, in fact Microsoft and Apple are still working together, especially for the development of Mac Office applications (Mac version of Microsoft Office) and several other key applications.
Only question is, whether proprietary ecosystem model of Mac / Apple could be applied to the PC, given the PC market is much larger than the Mac / Apple itself? Is the system running on a more limited community, can be applied to the wider community?
Secure Boot: Ball in Hand Who's There?
Windows 8 was released a long time, so it felt too premature to pass judgment in full today. Compromises are still very possible to happen, because the IT business world is full of pragmatism and high-level lobbying.
It's just that, until this moment is still not clear whether this feature will be available on all PCs, or only partly PC, or it actually is not provided at all. At this point, the ball was in the hands of OEM PC, not on Microsoft or Linux / Open Source.
Microsoft itself made clear that the OEM may activate the feature 'disable' the UEFI. On his blog, Microsoft provides examples of prototype tablet PC that Samsung can disable secure boot.
Case dihacknya Playstation 3 with Linux OS is a valuable lesson. Filled with it, some activists expressed confidence that the open source Linux running on Windows 8 certified PCs requires only a matter of a few weeks since its release.
If Windows 8 PCs mengenable certified secure features of UEFI boot, we can be sure the Open Source community will find a way to hack the system. A distinctive feature of Linux is that it can run on all platforms, and Windows 8 certified PCs are not the exception.
The premise of 'all systems can be hacked' is something that is held by a hacker. I assume, that the UEFI boot secure activation by PC OEMs will not have a big impact on market penetration of Linux.
In the end, consumers will still be able to run any operating system they want, whether it be Windows or Linux version 8, because kostumasi option will always be available. In the fight between the operating system / platform, the consumer always wins.
Meanwhile, the open source vendor Red Hat is a member of the UEFI consorsium. Certainly they will also lobby, however, that the latest Linux version can still be running the latest hardware.
On the other hand, the Xbox 360 Firmware Upgrade Get ready ..
Microsoft is reportedly preparing for the latest firmware for the Xbox 360. In it are many added features, including support for Windows Phone.
We quoted from TGDaily, the firmware is fixed to some new features such as Xbox 360, streaming television, video and music content access, and improvements to Kinect.
Although not known for sure, but firmware is said to be released on 15 November 2011, coinciding with the anniversary of the Xbox 360 is the 10th.
Another addition is in the firmware is support for Windows Phone. Yes, according to the promise of Microsoft's mobile operating system will be able to connect even further with the Xbox 360.
Kinect itself has become one of Microsoft's promise to provide a different way of playing games, but constraints such as lack of response, or does not recognize voice commands very well made product is not soared as expected.
In addition, through this latest firmware gamers can also synchronize between Xbox 360, Windows mobile, and Kinect.Tidak only limited access to Xbox Live profile, but can play a certain game and gain points which can also be used on the Xbox 360.
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