Windows8

[slm]

Are people aware of this nice little feature?

 

http://www.zdnet.com/blog/open-source/microsoft-to-stop-linux-older-windows-from-running-on-windows-8-pcs/9589

 

[Bearcat]

Don't get me started. I am already pissed at MS foe some of the stupid steps back they took in W7 as nice as it is. One thing in particular that really ticks me off is that read/write permission issue on the folders. Really stupid if you ask me to take afeature that has been on every version of Windows since 3.0 and render it useless. 

[AndyJWest]

Corrupt. Probably illegal, at least as far as the EU are concerned. 

[slm]

Don't know about legality etc. in EU, but

according to this recent article Linux in Win8 PCs is sometimes possible, but a major nuisance:

 

http://www.zdnet.com/linux-on-windows-8-pcs-some-progress-but-still-a-nuisance-7000010697/

[gavagai]

Can someone translate the article a little bit?  What I read is that in order to certify your copy of windows 8, you have to have some kind of security feature in the UEFI bios, and that will prevent you from installing a different OS, i.e. Linux.

 

For practical purposes, Microsoft still has a monopoly on operating systems.  Apple is no better, but their market share is still very small (computers, not tablets, of course).

[slm]

Can someone translate the article a little bit?  What I read is that in order to certify your copy of windows 8, you have to have some kind of security feature in the UEFI bios, and that will prevent you from installing a different OS, i.e. Linux.

 

That's how I understand it. Just checked my own Win8 laptop: I can disable this new boot system from BIOS settings, but apparently users cannot do it in all computers.

Which would force them to use Windows8 only.

 

It's strange that MS would do such thing considering all the court cases where they were punished from preventing competition (not the official term, I know),

and had to allow using other browsers and so on.