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510

Offer preinstalled LinuxBIOS

510 points posted to Linux by sveinungkv 07/10/07

LinuxBIOS (http://linuxbios.org/) replaces BIOS or EFI. It does the first initialization of the hardware before it loads its payload. The payload could be anything, from the Linux kernel to a boot loader. It has the following advantages:

1. Boot time. Normal BIOSes are not very fast. In addition, the OS will often repeat what the BIOS just did in case the BIOS did it wrong. LinuxBIOS only do the first initialization before it gives control to its payload.

2. Freedom. LinuxBIOS is Free Software, released under the GPL.

3. Trust. EFI can connect to the internet and download a new copy of itself. EFI can also monitor and override what the OS is allowed to do. See http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QsW88Efgmlk

4. Security. Sine LinuxBIOS is free software, it is possible to fix security errors in the BIOS for everyone, not just the vendor. This also applies to hardware errors that are fixable in firmware, see the Intel Dual Core situation where we now can not do anything ourself but must wait for the BIOS vendors to fix it: http://marc.info/?l=openbsd-misc&m=118296441702631

5. Customizable. LinuxBIOS can be customized to do what the user wants since it is free software and is designed to carry any payload.

I know this is not an option on Windows since Windows don't support LinuxBIOS yet, but it would be nice to have LinuxBIOS as an option for the GNU/Linux systems. The customer should be informed about the boot time benefit (those that would want it for other reasons are likely capable to install it on their own) and be warned that it would make it impossible to install Windows on the computer later.

PS! Sorry about my English, it is not my native language

cosh
07/10/07		 Good idea. Vote on this one too.

@DUPLICATEOF 62549: LinuxBIOS instead of proprietary BIOS

I thought the LinuxBIOS project could boot Windows though.... no?
sveinungkv
07/10/07		 LinuxBIOS can load ADLO that can boot Windows 2000. I have not seen any reports on it running XP or Vista, the Windows versions that Dell currently sells. It is however a summer of code project to do it. http://linuxbios.org/Booting_Windows_using_LinuxBIOS
winoffice
07/10/07		 I do not agree, because it would confuse customers. As I read in a software book (in the section about installing Windows), the BIOS means basic input/output system, and is hardware. LinuxBIOS, on the contrary, is software, not hardware.
cosh
07/10/07		 The BIOS hardware consists primarily of a small chip containing BIOS software, and gets mapped into memory at a known location and given to the CPU (the real hardware) to run when it starts up. LinuxBIOS just replaces the default software on the chip, like any other BIOS upgrade. Well, my point is, I'd reckon the BIOS software is a more significant part than the hardware.

But you're right, it would probably confuse people anyway.
sveinungkv
07/10/07		 winoffice: If your only objection to LinuxBIOS is the name it could always be called "Linux friendly motherboard firmware", simply: "Boot Linux fast", if a name is required: "Linux Fastload" or something else in the customization menu.
fjodor
07/17/07		 winoffice: Well, there is the old saying that "Hardware is just petrified software". In case of the bios, it's software that is most often placed on a chip holding nothing else. I suggest you go buy a book that gets its concepts right... ("Structured Computer Organization" by Andrew S. Tanenbaum is such a book).
amp_man
09/09/07		 Windows XP support through ADLO and LinuxBIOSv2 and v3 is well on its way. Is there any way to merge the votes here with the duplicated idea?
winoffice
10/01/07		 Linux is an operating system and not a BIOS. That is why I think that it (LinuxBIOS, namely) would confuse customers.
fjodor
12/18/07		 winoffice: I think the large majority won't care/notice, but those who do should have no problem getting to terms with the fact that LinuxBIOS is a BIOS based on Linux, provided they actually know what a BIOS is. Unfortunately, there are a few that will most likely refuse to learn unbiasedly, but I should assume that those are beyond paedagogical reach...
winoffice
Jan 20		 cosh, about the duplicating issue:
This idea is not a duplicate.
That idea (62549) asks that LinuxBIOS would be used INSTEAD of proprietary BIOSes.
This idea (71467) merely asks that Dell OFFER LinuxBIOS.
Since Dell could offer both LinuxBIOSes and proprietary BIOSes, it is not the same thing as using LinuxBIOSes instead of proprietary BIOSes.
winoffice
Jan 20		 sveinungkv: As fjodor noted earlier, LinuxBIOS is a BIOS that is based on Linux, so I think that Dell might call it "Linux-based BIOS". Calling LinuxBIOS by that name might perhaps make less confusion between the it and Linux OS (operating system). Otherwise I agree with this idea, since it says "offer". Since it says "offer", I understand that users would still have the option of getting non-Linux BIOSes (since according to your own words Windows does not support LinuxBIOS), like this:

Select your BIOS

Non-Linux BIOS (if you plan to use non-Linux operating systems, then this is the recommended option)
Linux-based BIOS (can yield faster boot times, but should not be selected if you plan to use Windows or other non-Linux operating systems).
sveinungkv
Apr 6		 Update1: LinuxBIOS is now called Coreboot. I think this removes the confusion about the name.
Update2: Coreboot can now boot Windows XP using ADLO to provide the legacy BIOS functions that XP needs. See http://www.coreboot.org/Booting_Windows_using_coreboot Vista is (as far as I know) not (yet) supported
winoffice: Correct, I meant offer. I also agree that people should be told of the benefits (faster boot time, code you (or a party you pay) can inspect etc) as well as be warned about the possible downsides before choosing between Coreboot and a normal BIOS.
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