Linux users file EU complaint against Microsoft (Reuters) [LWN.net]

Linux users file EU complaint against Microsoft (Reuters)

Posted Mar 26, 2013 21:52 UTC (Tue) by Wol (subscriber, #4433)
In reply to: Linux users file EU complaint against Microsoft (Reuters) by s0f4r
Parent article: Linux users file EU complaint against Microsoft (Reuters)

At least one of the comments on one of the stories I've seen, the poster claimed that he had been unable to install linux, because he couldn't get the install CD to boot.

As it was a laptop bought for work, that required linux, it was obviously a problem...

And I gather the magic incantation to disable secure boot isn't easy, or consistent. Maybe he can't disable it because he can't find out how?

Cheers,
Wol

to post comments

Linux users file EU complaint against Microsoft (Reuters)

Posted Mar 26, 2013 22:17 UTC (Tue) by s0f4r (guest, #52284) [Link]

I'm certainly interested to see how vendors (the BIOS/device ones) actually cope with the win8 requirements and leave documentation for the end user around that explains how they can install a different OS.

I just did this to a Sony system last week, and finding and disabling secure boot was trivial. There's really not much to it.

That makes the question: Should it be "one-button" to install a new OS? I somewhat doubt that is a valid argument in this case.

Linux users file EU complaint against Microsoft (Reuters)

Posted Mar 26, 2013 22:20 UTC (Tue) by mjg59 (subscriber, #23239) [Link] (5 responses)

Many of the cases where users have claimed this have been nothing to do with Secure Boot - instead, they've been trying to boot old versions of Linux with poor UEFI support. I haven't yet seen a single credible report of a user being unable to disable Secure Boot on a system.

Linux users file EU complaint against Microsoft (Reuters)

Posted Mar 26, 2013 22:59 UTC (Tue) by s0f4r (guest, #52284) [Link]

This has been my experience, unfortunately, this is going to dilute the discussion :^(

Linux users file EU complaint against Microsoft (Reuters)

Posted Mar 27, 2013 1:17 UTC (Wed) by HelloWorld (guest, #56129) [Link] (3 responses)

> I haven't yet seen a single credible report of a user being unable to disable Secure Boot on a system.
On an x86-64 system, that is.

Linux users file EU complaint against Microsoft (Reuters)

Posted Mar 27, 2013 1:23 UTC (Wed) by mjg59 (subscriber, #23239) [Link] (2 responses)

Full marks for ignoring context.

Linux users file EU complaint against Microsoft (Reuters)

Posted Mar 27, 2013 8:46 UTC (Wed) by pjm (guest, #2080) [Link] (1 responses)

(I thought it was a reasonable clarification to make, and shouldn't be met with sarcasm: UEFI secure boot is of interest beyond the specifics of the original article.)

Linux users file EU complaint against Microsoft (Reuters)

Posted Mar 27, 2013 9:13 UTC (Wed) by pjm (guest, #2080) [Link]

As I've just defended a statement of the obvious on the grounds that not all readers will be intimitely familiar with these matters, I'll similarly point out that mjg59 would be the prototypical example of someone intimitely familiar with these matters — which may be why he wasn't impressed at what might come across as trying to teach one's grandmother to suck eggs.