Secure Boot is a new technology that can make sure that a given set of hardware runs only a defined operating system and nothing else. Microsoft is planning on implementing this in all Windows 8 machines. But, Free Software Foundation (FSF) has launched an offensive against this, alleging the move would forcefully restrict users to Windows.
Secure Boot, as the name suggests, is certainly secure in that it is able to ward off malware since the computer is simply not able to run unauthorized programs. However, if Microsoft or other corporations implement Secure Boot on their own, this would essentially mean that the users will have no choice but to restrict themselves to the operating systems shipped out by these vendors.
In other words, you won’t be able to run any other operating system on a SecureBoot-enabled Windows machine. And that’s why FSF has launched a campaign against it. The petition launched by the organization is titled ‘Stand up for your freedom to install free software,’ and has been able to amass more than 41,000 signatures so far.
FSF clearly cites that it is not against Secure Boot, but certainly against the way Microsoft and others intend to implement it. “This could be a feature deserving of the name, as long as the user is able to authorize the programs she wants to use, so she can run free software written and modified by herself or people she trusts,” according to FSF.
The exact text of the petition, too, calls out to all computer makers, and demands that Secure Boot must be implemented in such a manner so that the users are able to run free operating systems on their machines whenever they want to.
Source: FSF
Courtesy: Parity News
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