[Arm-netbook] Microsoft confirms UEFI fears, locks down ARM devices

[Alain Williams]

On Sat, Jan 14, 2012 at 09:10:45AM -0600, Bari Ari wrote:
> Maybe it's time to start making ARM soc's?
> 
> http://www.softwarefreedom.org/blog/2012/jan/12/microsoft-confirms-UEFI-fears-locks-down-ARM/
> 
> http://linux.slashdot.org/story/12/01/14/0236244/microsoft-taking-aggressive-steps-against-linux-on-arm\

It is nothing fundemenal to ARM CPUs, it is about the whole machine.

That is if those who make hardware platforms decide to play ball with MS.
Some will, some won't, some will provide multiple platforms: those with MS restrictions, those without.

MS have tried this before, google for the Fritz chip and palladium. It doesn't
seem to have gone very far.

> "Microsoft has updated their WHQL certification requirements for Windows 
> 8, and placed specific restrictions on ARM platforms that will make it 
> impossible to install non-Microsoft operating systems on ARM devices, 
> and make it impossible to turn off or customize such security. Choice 
> quotes from the certification include from page 116, section 20: 'On an 
> ARM system, it is forbidden to enable Custom Mode. Only Standard Mode 
> may be enabled' — which prevents users from customizing their security, 
> and in section 21: 'Disabling Secure MUST NOT be possible on ARM 
> systems' to prevent you from booting any other OSes."


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Alain Williams
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