It’s called secure boot and it’s been around for over 10 years now.
How long do we have before PCs get locked bootloaders and corporations ban installation of "non-approved" software? (for context: Google is restricting sideloading worldwide on Android ETA 2027)
Submitted 2 weeks ago by DeathByBigSad@sh.itjust.works to [deleted]
Comments
calamityjanitor@lemmy.world 2 weeks ago
SkavarSharraddas@gehirneimer.de 2 weeks ago
And the first iteration was much more locked down, only got changed after public complaints.
mugita_sokiovt@discuss.online 2 weeks ago
I think that’s because of GPL-2, which had allowance (unintentional) for Tivoization, which is what Secure Boot is a form of from what I read. I might be wrong on that, though.
GPL-3 fixed the Tivoization, though.
BlameTheAntifa@lemmy.world 2 weeks ago
Microsoft is already starting to lay the groundwork with their CPU and TPM 2.0 requirements.
Apple has been doing this for a long time, though there are ways to get around it on MacOS, for now.
On PC, the answer is Linux. For mobile devices, things are looking more bleak.
Korhaka@sopuli.xyz 2 weeks ago
Linux won’t be an option if the boot loader is locked. I think Linux is just about popular enough that options should remain but they might become reduced unless it becomes more popular than it currently is.
nul9o9@lemmy.dbzer0.com 2 weeks ago
I’d imagine not every mobo manufacturer will play ball with whoever mandates a locked bootloader.
Right now, we have google and apple with a duopoly on mobile devices.
derpgon@programming.dev 2 weeks ago
Linux is heavily used on servers. Losing server sector means a huge chunk of revenue.
fluffykittycat@slrpnk.net 2 weeks ago
If the private key were to leak, we’d be home free
theparadox@lemmy.world 2 weeks ago
The situation is actually quite awful. I remember when TPM was palladium and there were apocalyptic talks in tech conferences about it being the end of general purpose computers. The idea that your computer could veto what it was used for.
The backlash only set them back a few decades apparently. Everyone forgot and now it’s a literal requirement for the latest Windows and in two months they’ll stop supporting the old Windows…
olafurp@lemmy.world 2 weeks ago
Next phone I get I’ll get fairphone and check the market for an alternative OS at that time. This might be the push that the Linux phone community needs to make it proper and good.
We currently need a KDE phone that they sell where I can buy a KDE phone and support them that way.
The pieces are coming together for Linux notably:
- SPA support instead of apps.
- Waydroid
- Core components such as calling, sim card actions, recording, speakers can be provided by fairphone via drivers.
I’m getting pretty sick of Google and other corpos locking down Android so fuck them, third best phone OS will have to do and I’ll do banking in the mobile browser page.
SaharaMaleikuhm@feddit.org 2 weeks ago
I just bought the cheapest fairphone I could get to replace my old pixel. Now it’s time to try proper linux on mobile for the first time. I’m excited!
TheLeadenSea@sh.itjust.works 2 weeks ago
This is what happened when we allowed companies with a profit incentive to code our devices. Linux will always be free, and there will be companies that design computers for Linux, such as Fairphone, Framework, Furi, and probably some that don’t start with F too
msage@programming.dev 2 weeks ago
How does Fairphone design computers for Linux?
TheLeadenSea@sh.itjust.works 2 weeks ago
The Fairphone is one of the beat supported Linux Mobile devices
RaivoKulli@sopuli.xyz 2 weeks ago
By far most of work on Linux is being done by for profit companies
cley_faye@lemmy.world 2 weeks ago
It’s been tried a bit before, but didn’t get through. The current situation with secure boot is worrying, because we’re one manufacturer playing ball away from it to become a reality.
I’d like to say there’s strong incentive to not do that, but it seems that logic alone would not stop this kind of push. And weirdly enough, even financial risk might not be enough, as we’ve seen baffling decisions made these last few months.
The main saving graces is that there are more than two manufacturer for motherboard, and as far as I know, patent lockdown and secrecy isn’t as big on PC hardware than on mobile boards, so it might be easier to escape such lockdown. But fully locked down systems under external control is clearly where some people wants us to go.
brax@sh.itjust.works 2 weeks ago
Users are getting dumber by the day. The people arguing back to me about “this is a you problem” when I mention reasons why device ownership is important is way too fucking high.
This is why you gatekeep hobbies. Keep the dipshits out so they don’t become the masses that ruin what you enjoy.
BackgrndNoize@lemmy.world 2 weeks ago
Exactly, if I like something I try to keep it on the down low, or only spread it in circles where I know it will be similarly appreciated, the moment a majority of the people are into something, that thing will now get subjected to external influences that require it to be liked by everyone and most people are mediocre so the thing moves towards mediocrity
StrawberryPigtails@lemmy.sdf.org 2 weeks ago
It’s been done before. ChromeBooks comes to mind, but there have been others. Usually winds up killing the outfit that tries it.
As far as I know Chromebooks only survive because of the educational market. Locked down devices are preferable in schools.
I won’t buy one, but I could see such systems becoming dominant in another 20 years or so.
blargh513@sh.itjust.works 2 weeks ago
It will creep in slowly since most people dont touch any settings on their computer after the initial unboxing and setup.
Big box retailers will offer discounts on them, much like how you can buy a Chromebook for very little.
Enticed by cheap computers, people will buy not knowing that any limitations exist. They’ll be encouraged to use centralized app repositories but they can still install some other stuff.
A year or two later, some things won’t be permitted, computer will make scary warnings when installing, but with enough clicking, you can get past. Until the day you can’t.
It will be a progression, but it will happen eventually. I honestly am surprised that computers dont require some sort of registration. I’m sure that will happen eventually.
Korhaka@sopuli.xyz 2 weeks ago
Windows does require registration to any normal user at this point. Gotta setup a micrisper account
Onomatopoeia@lemmy.cafe 2 weeks ago
It’s not required, it just seems required to non-technical people (I know, potato/potato, it’s effectively required).
DeathByBigSad@sh.itjust.works 2 weeks ago
Isn’t the serial number already on the box? So its already scanned into a database then you checkout? I know for phones at least, they definitely scan the barcode with the imei at checkout
ExLisper@lemmy.curiana.net 2 weeks ago
Too late to do this for PCs. You already have Linux laptop providers and Linux distros supported by corporations. Most of the components have multiple providers. You will be able to source “unlocked” hardware from somewhere.
The problem with mobile is that the hardware is too complicated for open source projects to handle. Many have tried, all have failed. So far. Hopefully we will finally see something usable come out of projects like PinePhone and PostmarketOS.
GreenKnight23@lemmy.world 2 weeks ago
Too late to do this for PCs.
let me tell you about this little thing called windows 11.
I know for a fact that this is exactly where compute is going, just look at the aggressive moves that MS has been making over the last 15-25 years.
it starts with requiring an always on connection, and ends with hardware lockout like Mac has.
sure Linux will be an option… but for how much longer? all the old devs are retiring and the new ones…god help us. they want to rewrite it like any greenhorn, and they want to use…rust??!
I give it 10-15 years before hardware locks out Linux, and Linux is dying.
I’m a Linux user btw, so don’t think I’m a MS or Mac fan.
StupidBrotherInLaw@lemmy.world 2 weeks ago
Linux is dying
I definitely am not getting this impression, especially with the recent boost in popularity, but this isn’t my field of expertise. Any reading you can recommend to get an old man up to speed?
Tuuktuuk@sopuli.xyz 2 weeks ago
Moat of servers run Linux, and servers are just computers.
vane@lemmy.world 2 weeks ago
Just to add on top of that I think Linux will be good as long as Torvalds is alive. After that who knows what would happen. They might add binaries to mainstream kernel that lock you out and who can stop them ? We are lucky we live in times where we have a choice.
Vanilla_PuddinFudge@infosec.pub 2 weeks ago
all have failed
Here I sit, an eternal failure.
- posted from my Oneplus 6T on PostmarketOS
MinFapper@startrek.website 2 weeks ago
$1M carries the weight of about 1M signatures, which is to say… not much.
SaharaMaleikuhm@feddit.org 2 weeks ago
Fairphone devs contribute drives to linux. Their phones are among the best supported devices for postmarketos and ubuntu touch and so on.
Tywele@lemmy.dbzer0.com 2 weeks ago
What makes mobile hardware more complicated than desktop hardware?
dustyData@lemmy.world 2 weeks ago
It’s a long history lesson. But the gist is that IBM made an architecture that allowed for modular LEGO style construction of computers. They were assholes and tried to make it lock down by keeping software secret and proprietary, but it was so popular that everyone else copied it and IBM/PC clones were born. Then the architecture became the standard, and everyone could make components for a PC with (more or less) assurance that any component made would be compatible and fit into (almost) any other computer.
Phones, on the other hand were born out of the necessity of being the smallest and most portable device possible. This meant bespoke solutions. The people who were chasing that format chose an architecture, ARM, that at the time required everything to be on a single chip. Memory, storage, CPU, CMOS, everything has to be on the chip. Which means exchanging parts is not possible. System on chip became the smart phone standard. Now, technically ARM doesn’t have to always be SOC. But it means two things, first is that every phone model is an unique and bespoke production that will never exist again once out of print. Second, it is a Titanic task to reverse engineer certain parts of it, firmware for sensor input is always unique, for example.
This means that FOSS is at a disadvantage. To make free open software for a phone means that, either a manufacturer is magnanimous and gives you all the firmware, or after a major effort to reverse engineer lots of pieces of software, it will be useless for the next model of phone. You either make your own open standard phone, which is a several billion dollar r&d endeavor. Or you’re constantly shooting at a fast moving target.
No one has created an open standard that allows small component manufacturing of mutually interchangeable parts for phones. Risc-v is close but not yet terribly financially viable.
frank_exchange_of_views@sh.itjust.works 2 weeks ago
It’s not any one platform that is too complicated, it’s that none of it was standardized. So once you have support for one phone completely done, the next model is already released 6 months ago and you have to start almost from scratch again.
Pixel was one exception to this, because Google would release and document all the modifications needed to run Android. Unfortunately they stopped doing this as well.
Contrast this to the x86 PC and laptop market and everything basic, like how to discover hardware, how to boot is all a documented standard. Even though on PC, you still have to deal with drivers for specific hardware.
Another reason why PC is much easier for Linux is that much of the hardware is shared with servers and for servers, Linux is absolutely a first class operating system, which all but some extremely niche hardware manufacturers fully support.
ExLisper@lemmy.curiana.net 2 weeks ago
You need way, way better sleep handling. To get decent battery life everything needs to be able to go to sleep really fast but also be able to listen for signals from specific devices like GSM modem and wake up immediately. Without it it’s not really usable. Desktop PCs didn’t have any sleep functionality for a very long time and even now they mostly just disable everything and wait for a button press. Sleep/wake-up cycle can last couple of seconds without issues.
Mobile hardware also has more devices. I don’t have GPS, GSM, accelerometer or finger print reader in my laptop. When Linux was developed they also didn’t have cameras or bluetooth. A lot of this additional devices are not easily available like PC parts and require closed source drivers and firmware.
To make a usable mobile phone you need to figure out all if it at once. You can’t really release a phone without GPS or GSM and expect people to use it as a daily driver. With PC you can leave without the camera or build in WiFi. I remember using USB dongles for WiFi and simply not having a working camera in my Linux laptops and I was fine with it.
Tuuktuuk@sopuli.xyz 2 weeks ago
Has Fairphone failed in this regard, in your opinion?
InFerNo@lemmy.ml 2 weeks ago
What are these Linux laptop providers going to sell if they can’t order anything from the factory that lets them change the software because reasons
ExLisper@lemmy.curiana.net 2 weeks ago
I’m saying that there’s enough laptop providers and enough different factories to maintain supply of unlocked hardware. You don’t have to worry about locked CPU/GPUs, only about locked bootloaders which have a lot of different providers. With mobiles it’s easier to lock because it’s all packed into SOCs and you don’t have as much choice for latest hardware.
Atomic@sh.itjust.works 2 weeks ago
It’s not going to happen.
Motherboard manufacturers are not going to start making Windows only BIOS.
Microsofts target audience isn’t the private user. It’s companies. The money they make selling their OS to private persons are table scraps compared to their enterprise licenses. Any such initiative would fuck over every single enterprise customer.
SirEDCaLot@lemmy.today 2 weeks ago
It’s been attempted in two ways.
First is secure boot. There were a handful of computers sold that did not allow disabling of secure boot, or changing the loaded keys. So it was basically essentially a Windows only computer.
More recently is there was Microsoft Windows S. This was a cheap version of Windows Home that ran on low end computers and was locked to only allow installing apps from the Microsoft store. It was possible to unlock it but as I recall it required an additional fee.Enterprises almost all run Windows anyway so they DGAF.
Atomic@sh.itjust.works 2 weeks ago
Enterprises use a lot, and I do mean A LOT of custom software. Either developed in house or by others. They absolutely care.
What Microsoft does within their own OS, as the “S” version you’re talking about. That’s a non issue given you can just flash the drive and install whatever OS you want.
As for the concern that you’d somehow be unable to install another OS. Due to Secure Boot. I personally have never come across a computer that I’ve had full BIOS access to that didn’t allow disabling secure boot. Though some have been more cooperative than others. But maybe I’m just lucky.
But I’m also pretty sure there are linux distributions that support Secure Boot.
Secure Boot for what it’s intended to do, is a pretty good feature. Which is to stop unauthorized software from running before initiating your OS
Chrobin@discuss.tchncs.de 2 weeks ago
Fedora supports secure boot out of the box
tarknassus@lemmy.world 2 weeks ago
Isn’t secure boot signed by Microsoft anyway IIRC? I know Lenovo had their own signing too. From my knowledge, installing a secure-boot supported linux version requires a ‘shim’ to allow it, and there was an issue that came up as the keys are due to expire for older OS versions.
Of course, Secure Boot can be switched off as well. (for now)
Aimeeloulm@feddit.uk 2 weeks ago
To all those people saying this will never happen because people wouldn’t accept or tolerate it ree living in a different reality, sorry to burst your bubble and faith in your fellow himans but…most people will just whinge whine cuss and then go do something else, people today have no guts in them to fight back and to lazy too, they expect others to do all the work for them, but wont lift a finger except to moan and whine about shit.
Long story short we are fucked, absolutely fucked, we…those that would/will do something are few and far between now, people aka the masses are used to being beaten down and being told to put up and shut up, just get on with it, so we few just have to look after ourselves, our families and friends, get through life best way we can, we be a small pocket of resistance but thats all sadly 🥺
jj4211@lemmy.world 2 weeks ago
Not the consumers so much as a ton of businesses that would have their whole IT broken.
Microsoft has really really wanted this to happen, but their attempts have failed to get traction, because it breaks just so many applications. The only reason people use windows is compatibility with all their apps, a move that breaks all the apps just doesn’t work.
Different with Android and iPhone where they managed to define the default position as app store and didn’t have to contend with “legacy”.
rocky1138@sh.itjust.works 2 weeks ago
This is a very American mindset
kittenzrulz123@lemmy.blahaj.zone 2 weeks ago
I would say if/when PCs move over to ARM than we very well may see the same issues mobile devices have. There is a severe lack of Linux compatibility due to proprietary drivers, sometimes no drivers at all, no software support, and no device trees.
Vanilla_PuddinFudge@infosec.pub 2 weeks ago
there is another… but, it may be RISCy
sarmale@lemmy.zip 2 weeks ago
As much as I love RISC-V I’m afraid it will turn just like arm now, the architecture is open but every chipset that came out is not, there isn’t an unified booting standard like UEFI+ACPI for RISC-V
God I hope i’m wrong
ZILtoid1991@lemmy.world 2 weeks ago
Also ARM is way less standard. While UEFI does exist on ARM, most just use some custom bootloader. And let’s not forget how ARM is protecting its Mali Linux drivers.
PrettyFlyForAFatGuy@feddit.uk 2 weeks ago
I have the ubuntu 25 concept installed on my snapdragon HP Omnibook 14
Other than a few software hiccups you would expect of a “concept build” it works almost perfectly and is now my daily driver. Actually getting the OS on the machine was pretty easy too, it has something akin to a bios. the process isn’t all that different
kittenzrulz123@lemmy.blahaj.zone 2 weeks ago
Well yes many arm PCs do work, im just saying eventually they will be locked down
warm@kbin.earth 2 weeks ago
We already have that. A reason they want to shift to ARM is so they can lock the hardware down.
DoctorPress@lemmy.zip 2 weeks ago
We already have “secure boot” BS. For now it’s easy to turn off but it’s only a matter of time before getting locked and forced everywhere.
__siru__@discuss.tchncs.de 2 weeks ago
And wasn’t there already some kind of security certificate issue with secure boot? It is like always, in the name of security and safety the free software/hardware gets locked away and ends up being less secure afterwards.
Smoogs@lemmy.world 2 weeks ago
And just like that I’m all about Ubuntu phones now
DeathByBigSad@sh.itjust.works 2 weeks ago
Which devices are you planning to get at right now?
Smoogs@lemmy.world 2 weeks ago
Either buy pine or try out userland for current but I haven’t completed the research yet
bryndos@fedia.io 2 weeks ago
That's probably why risc-v is getting quite popular in embedded stuff - smaller companies wanting more supply chain independence.
Hopefully it'll start to get more powerful soon for more serious computing.
Its nice that stuff like debian now has risk-v version too.MotoAsh@lemmy.world 2 weeks ago
Nahhhhhh that’s far more interesting in cause. Moore’s law has been dead for like… I dunno’, at least a decade by now? Bigger and bigger instruction sets have similarly hit their max return on investment. RISC-V is making a comeback solely because it’s literally competative now that frequency and even fancy inctructions have long since tapped out for performance gains.
Especially with GPU compute becoming more and more of a thing since DX11+. Parallel computation has become more and more of a well understood task with great ROI while increasing single threaded performance has been a wizard’s game for yeeeaaaaars.
quick_snail@feddit.nl 2 weeks ago
You’re describing Secure Boot. It happened years ago.
And, btw, the Android thing also doesn’t affect anyone without gapps. Chill out.
nibbler@discuss.tchncs.de 2 weeks ago
And, btw, the Android thing also doesn’t affect anyone without gapps. Chill out.
so only 99% are affected, that really calms me down.
Manny services that are connected to finance/payment require gapps, car sharing, banking etc.
quick_snail@feddit.nl 2 weeks ago
Don’t install gapps. And ffs don’t use banking on insecure devices anyway
quick_snail@feddit.nl 2 weeks ago
When I was tasked with buying laptopa for a company, I made sure to test Linux compatibility on every machine. If the model didn’t support Linux, we didn’t buy it.
Most of the devs were windows users, but there were enough devs and sysadmins that preferred Linux that it just made more sense to only buy hardware that supports both windows and Linux.
Corporate pressure would never allow such lockdown in the market
okamiueru@lemmy.world 2 weeks ago
There is no requirement for it, and can be disabled
quick_snail@feddit.nl 2 weeks ago
Exactly.
Dumhuvud@programming.dev 2 weeks ago
chocrates@piefed.world 2 weeks ago
Linux on the phone has come a long way I hear. I have been meaning to buy one and see if it can be my daily driver. Google being shitty would definitely push me there
MystikIncarnate@lemmy.ca 2 weeks ago
This is already happening, but it’s on an organisational level by policy. These policies can be applied to systems that follow trusted computing rules, which is most Windows 10 systems and pretty much all windows 11 systems. Google has laid the groundwork for this since the pixel 3 was released in 2018.
Since then, we have seen Google put the Titan security module in all phones and I’m certain Chromebooks are requiring TPM modules that serve the same function.
Apple has been doing the same since God knows when. Their systems have had unique chips that ensure that when MacOS is installed, it is only installed in Apple computers. There are ways around this, just as there are ways around the TPM requirement for Windows 11.
The trusted computing model, when fully imposed, can basically stop any applications from running that have not been given the blessing of the security team.
As far as I’m aware, the only people taking advantage of the technology are government institutions.
The fact that this can be wielded to enforce control over private individuals by our corporate masters is becoming a very real possibility, but the fact that it hasn’t happened yet, by any vendor, is, in my opinion, good evidence to say that it’s unlikely, but not impossible. Maybe that’s wishful thinking on my part.
In any case, the only truly free operating system left is GNU/Linux, with few other exceptions.
xia@lemmy.sdf.org 2 weeks ago
IIRC, I had a PC (since sold) that had secure boot permanently enabled from the factory. That is, in spirit, a PC with a “locked bootloader”, but you might not even notice because many Linux distros have that Microsoft-blessed Linux loading shim… but it is still Microsoft inserting themselves between you and your hardware; they could decide in the next few years they no longer “support” Linux, hypothetically.
magnetichuman@fedia.io 2 weeks ago
Expect specialist "open" hardware capable of installing any software/OS to become increasingly expensive, while increasingly locked-down, mass-produced consumer hardware remains at current price. You only need to look at TVs for an example of this - try finding a recent non-smart TV at a reasonable price as the cheap models are all subsidised by the revenue from pushing ads into your face.
gravitywell@sh.itjust.works 2 weeks ago
Such pcs already exist and are used by buinesses and schools all over… Mostly chromebooks and i suppose apple also fits that criteria.
But it would be very hard to stop a determined hacker who has physical access to a device and doesnt mind voiding any warranties or user agreements.
neon_nova@lemmy.dbzer0.com 2 weeks ago
I kind of expect this to happen with Apple’s rumored $600 macbook. Since they just updated ipadOS to run like a locked down version of macOS. I bet they will offer this cheap mac with the same locked down OS since it will have a “phone” processor in it.
They will say this was a compromise needed, but the majority of people will not care. After a few years, the macs that are open will get more and more expensive.
I’m guessing Windows will slowly start to move in thie direction, but I think they will try to push their remote computers thing to accomplish this.
I’m not sure about bootloaders being locked, I am guessing there will always be something that is unlocked and able to run linux though. It is needed for servers and stuff like that. In the worst case, someone will likely sell arm or risc-v powered boards that can be used to run linux.
AdrianTheFrog@lemmy.world 2 weeks ago
For phones Google gets to decide, as an os maker. For PCs, there are multiple OSses so hardware manufacturers get to decide.
I personally don’t see AMD or Intel doing that anytime soon, and if they do, at least Arm and Risc-V are making some good progress in the desktop space
sun_is_ra@sh.itjust.works 2 weeks ago
Android is opensource. ROM developers like lineageos should be able to create nornal ROMs with sideload enabled
Blackmist@feddit.uk 2 weeks ago
Didn’t MS already try this with Windows S editions?
ZILtoid1991@lemmy.world 2 weeks ago
I have a feeling, that Windows 12 PCs will be just glorified smartphones with voice control as the default.
Wispy2891@lemmy.world 2 weeks ago
It’s almost already like this. In my country every single bank reinvented the wheel by creating a single purpose app which does what aegis does (otp generation from a seed) but with some bits changed (one for example “encrypted” the seed with ROT13) and with draconian measures like bootloader must be locked, adb must be disabled, and are using literal exploits to see if you have “forbidden” directories on /sdcard like/sdcard/magisk even if no file access is granted
brucethemoose@lemmy.world 2 weeks ago
Fortunately, Microsoft is too incompetent to pull this off on Windows.
They tried. See the metro app push in Windows 8+. But it’s kind of incredible how much they permanently bungled it.
And if Windows doesn’t do it, hardware makers aren’t really interested in that sort of thing.
Stuff like SteamOS does worry me a tiny bit. It’s obviously fine now, but I can see a future where, say, Valve (or any hardware seller with some kind of successful storefront) starts to not like rising competition on their own stuff.
prole@lemmy.blahaj.zone 2 weeks ago
Just use Linux?
SoftestSapphic@lemmy.world 2 weeks ago
Never
It isn’t gonna happen
The enshittification would be too much, and people would gravitate twoards the more usable tech.
People liked Apple and Google because they offered simplified UX that still let people access what they wanted, as soon as people feel too restricted they will stop using the tech.
This trend is independent and unimpeded by the legality of the tech.
anothernobody@lemmy.world 2 weeks ago
With Linux being the standard for server systems there is no way to force locked bootloaders everywhere without making the whole web and a lot of companies collapse. But I expect more limitations regarding desktop systems. It’s hard to tell at this point because it’s a complex issue, not only from an economical but also political point of view (Mass surveillance).
SendMePhotos@lemmy.world 2 weeks ago
Don’t I own this hardware? Can I not do what I want with it?
BroiledShit@reddthat.com 2 weeks ago
No, because fuck you. Ownership is for pussies, do you really want to own what you buy? Just buy a new one if you have problems. my hope is that we eventually get to a point where you cant even build your own PC. Gaming PCs all built by Nvidia woth the latest Geforce built in to the motherboard. With a subscription fee to use it, im talking cheap like only $20/month. and then in a year it can sleep gently in a landfill. Oh and a feature that sets your house on fire and mangles your genitals. and if you try to turn that off, you get sued. it was in the TOS, just dont use a computer if that bothers you, shithead. the future is bright.
anothernobody@lemmy.world 2 weeks ago
You own the hardware but not the software.
sunzu2@thebrainbin.org 2 weeks ago
Without software access it is useless until you are able to jailbreak it.
Which is technically a breach of contract at the very least and could be deemed IP theft by a brain dead USian judge.
So you can't even commercialize your solution because capitalism works 1 way.
gravitas_deficiency@sh.itjust.works 2 weeks ago
Case in point:
Find a recently-ish manufactured used Chromebook/chromebox, and try to unlock the BIOS so you can slap a different OS on it
Source: it me 🫠
scarabic@lemmy.world 2 weeks ago
You’ll shoot your eye out, kid.
/s
otter@lemmy.ca 2 weeks ago
Your account is marked as a bot by the way, you can fix that in your user settings
anothernobody@lemmy.world 2 weeks ago
I already did, but thanks nonethless.
dubyakay@lemmy.ca 2 weeks ago
Beep-boop!
TheBat@lemmy.world 2 weeks ago
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