Comments on: Battle brews over unlocking PC secrets

The BIOS is one of the most closely guarded pieces of your system's software. Now some people want to set it free.

[System Tyrant]

Linux for Mom and Dad.

Users, like Mom and Dad, are computer stupid. They aren't interested in building kernels or running scripts to install software or drivers. The one thing to remember is they are barely Windows literate. Aside from running application most of them don't know how to do anything else.

I showed a man the other day how to install drivers from nVidia the other day. He download them and double clicked the icon on his desktop and followed the instruction up to the point of turning off the antivirus software. He didn't know what to do so he left his computer just like that till I got there. Now imagine him trying to install those drivers on linux. He would have never made it that far.

I really like linux and for me it's all good, but for the rest of the computer stoopud world (who by the way barley know Windows) it's just too scary. For those of us tech junkies we don't care how hard it is to make it work. We love the challenge and the reward of knowing how to do it. For the rest though they don't care about who makes it, how it's better, or why they should us it. They want simple, easy, and user friendly. Linux just isn't really there yet. I figure it will be someday, but it even took Windows and Mac time to get where they are today.

[zaznet]

Linspire...

There is some hope in Linspire (previously called Lindows) that a home user base of Linux has a chance to exist. You should try it out sometime...

[open-mind]

FREE My Car!

We need free software in our cars, because if we don't control the embedded systems, we don't control the automobiles. It puts me in an ethically compromised position to have a nonfree program in my SUV.
--
Paul R - FCF President
FREE Car Foundation

[zaznet]

Ebay...

Ebay sells cars that pre-date the computer software in your SUV. Go buy one and enjoy the freedom!

[digantasaha]

Openfirmware anyone?

http://www.openfirmware.org/

Has been around for a while and is used by Sun, Apple and
Motorola for their various architectures.

Free My Toaster

We need free software in our Toaster, because if we don't control the embedded systems, we don't control the Toaster. It puts me in an ethically compromised position($ex) to have a nonfree program in my Toaster.
--
Dick Asss - FTF President
Free Toaster Foundation

[culture_of_one]

The BIOS...

could be protected by something as simple as a software/hardware "switch". Then the makers could include a waiver saying, "Flip the switch at your own risk!" That way, the newbies are protected, the hackers (or wannabes) are happy, and the crackers are basically F****d.

As for the "give it all away for free" and "workers of the world unite" speaches, I'll just reserve my right to DNR. Now, if you'll all excuse me, I've got some work to do--using Evil Excel and Wicked Word.

-JDM

[culture_of_one]

Sorry...

that should've been "speeches"...I forgot to use my Satanic Spellchecker. ;)

-JDM

[henryr01]

You've Got to be KIDDING!!

This is the most obsurd news article I've ever seen. Hey, cNet, whant to do an article on my kid's belly-moaning about me grounding them for a week? That would be more exciting...