Ubuntu
linux package

Bug #441835
Comment #337

Comment 337 for bug 441835

Revision history for this message

peter b (b1pete) wrote on 2011-09-29:

#337

......'probing the existence of a floppy will lock up the process for 30
secs, and anything which waits on it (and moreover, it might even
cause locks on the IDE bus, so that other programs/drives lock as
well),'.....

so I guess it is because of BIOS taking precedence. if that is so then probably NOW is the time to 'separate the waters' so to speak (more below) - or in a nutshell, just try to find a way to get rid of BIOS altogether.

what I'm driving at is that linux initial concept, as good as I can remember, maybe I'm wrong, was to have an os that will configure and make work a device like the pc WITHOUT the need of BIOS. and linux so far has proved over and over again that is capable of detecting and configuring ANY device present on a pc. the BIOS pre-configuration of pc has always been less than desirable as far as linux is concerned.

maybe NOW is the time to address this issue - just thinking, there's nothing wrong with setting up a movement in linux community that will get involved all the best linux developers/minds starting with its initial/original one Linus Torwald, to find a way of getting just one device like a CD or USB etc. to be read and probe the pc WITHOUT a BIOS, (a v minimal so called BIOS (because of lack of other term now) that enables just the bus that a CD sits on so that it can be read).

what prompted my mind to run along this line of thought were the latest news (true or false, hard to say at this time apparently) more likely true given the fact that it was officially announced that the pc as we know it today WILL be subjected to more tying down to the os (that is the one for pay), and it wants full control of the pc and user/s under the guise of security, with user very personal data sent to the cloud, a very likely possibility.

Martin, and all concerned, probably you've already seen and read

http://www.zdnet.com/blog/hardware/windows-8-certification-will-make-it-difficult-or-impossible-to-install-linux-on-pcs/14987?tag=nl.e550
http://mjg59.dreamwidth.org/5850.html

it is self explanatory. the os in discussion (url's above) wants to migrate/integrate into BIOS. any thoughts re all above ?

sorry for posting this/the latter part under this thread.

what prompted my mind to run along this line of thought were the latest news (true or false, hard to say at this time apparently) more likely true given the fact that it was officially announced that the pc as we know it today WILL be subjected to more tying down to the os (that is the one for pay), and it wants full control of the pc and user/s under the guise of security, with  user very personal data sent to the cloud, a very likely possibility.