But what is "Linux"? If it were a package you could buy in a box from the store, the manufacturer would just sign a contract with OEMs to have a suitable key present in all manufactured computers, but Linux isn't like that. What if I want to compile my own kernel in order to try out an experimental feature, or help test a driver? What if I need to upgrade my boot-loader?
The only alternative to 'blocking Linux' is 'allowing anything to run', and if manufacturers were happy to allow that, they wouldn't bother with these features in the first place.
I'm sure there'll still be lots of computers that are capable of running Linux - multi-thousand dollar servers and high-end workstations; the kind of computers you buy through your account manager. It seems pretty sensible to block unauthorised OSs on low-end computers — the kind that ship with OS X or Windows Basic, the kind where minimizing support costs is vitally important.
Unfortunately, that's the same market segment where I and everybody I know got their start: taking over an old Windows box and putting Linux to see what the fuss was all about.
The only alternative to 'blocking Linux' is 'allowing anything to run', and if manufacturers were happy to allow that, they wouldn't bother with these features in the first place.
I'm sure there'll still be lots of computers that are capable of running Linux - multi-thousand dollar servers and high-end workstations; the kind of computers you buy through your account manager. It seems pretty sensible to block unauthorised OSs on low-end computers — the kind that ship with OS X or Windows Basic, the kind where minimizing support costs is vitally important.
Unfortunately, that's the same market segment where I and everybody I know got their start: taking over an old Windows box and putting Linux to see what the fuss was all about.