Linux distros agree on secure boot approach

[viking60]

Fedora and Ubuntu seem to agree on the UEFI secure boot approach. In the beginning they will use the Windows key and after that they will go for Grub2. The problem with Win 8 limiting the hardware will remain, but it seems that a common front is possible.
More here

[rolf]

I wouldn't trust Microsoft farther than I could drive Ballmer with a six iron but it looks hopeful that FSF etc. are keeping on top of this. I've got a fairly decent 4 or 5 year old mobo with the good capacitors and some sort of fancy power circuitry, the Asus P5Q Deluxe. It's been a reliable worker for me and I was surprised to be reminded there is a 'beta' EFI bios for it from 2009, when I was trying to figure something out, recently. Someday, it might provide some fun to migrate the 5 or 6-disk system over to EFI and, what, grub2, GPT?
But not today.

[viking60]

Manana I agree (or I am lazy too...) we don't even know what Hanna Montana Linux is going to do about this yet.....

[rolf]

That's what Linux needs is more_blonde_singers!

[rolf]

I wouldn't trust Microsoft...

and that will never change.

Linux Foundation UEFI Secure Boot key for Windows 8 PCs delays explained

Summary: Thanks to Microsoft, the Linux Foundation's program for booting Linux easily on Windows 8 PCs protected with Secure Boot is still stuck in neutral.

James Bottomley, Parallels' CTO of server virtualization, well-known Linux kernel maintainer, and the man behind the Linux Foundation's efforts to create an easy way to install and boot Linux on Windows 8 PCs with UEFI (Unified Extensible Firmware Interface) Secure Boot enabled is sorry to report that "We’re still waiting for Microsoft to give the Linux Foundation a validly signed pre-bootloader."

Despite the best efforts of Fedora, openSUSE, Ubuntu, and the Linux Foundation, booting Linux on UEFI Secure Boot Windows 8 PCs continues to be a problem . The easiest way to avoid Windows 8 lock-in is to disable UEFI Secure Boot from your system before it starts to boot. However, this option may not be available on all motherboard; isn't available at all on Windows RT devices, such as the Surface; and is still troublesome even with Secure Boot disabled. So, it is that the struggle—and struggle it is—to create an easy to use, universal install and boot Secure Boot Linux installer continues on....

[viking60]

Yup understood: Microsoft cannot be trusted. And they are proving it yet again.