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deif writes:
A recent Windows 8 update detects other OS installs as a "security problem", erases non-windows bootloaders and enables UEFI Secure Boot, all without user intervention.
I contacted MS by chat (in Dutch, so of no use to you) and asked them about this. They vehemently denied this was possible at all. Multiple times, in no uncertain terms. Same results were acquired by phone: denial, denial, denial.
I pointed out that it did actually happen, and that it wan't the first time such a thing had happened in the history of MS updates -so "impossible" was BS, to put it shortly.
Then came a chat reply which amounted to "MS updates makes sure W8 functions fine, it does not look at other OS's integrity". This is, in my opinion, a de-facto admission that yes, the update had changed the bootloader back to the W8 version that ignores other OS's, and yes, it had set the UEFI setting back to "secure boot."
(Score: 3, Interesting) by Grishnakh on Wednesday March 26 2014, @10:51AM
Exactly. MS has a long history of trashing other OS installs, and their installer not playing well with others. What do people expect of this company? It's like people keep expecting MS to act like a decent company that cares about its customers, when they have decades of history that shows the exact opposite. Is all of society insane, or are people's brains hardwired to trust others so much that they refuse to believe that this company has only evil intentions, as proven by its actions over its entire existence?
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Wednesday March 26 2014, @11:02AM
It's not true that they don't care about their customers, if you want microsoft to listen to you, just sign up for a premier contract with them and they'll do pretty much whatever you want as long as you're willing to pay for it.
(Score: 2, Funny) by ticho on Wednesday March 26 2014, @11:30AM
Wait, why are you describing how hookers work? Offtopic!
(Score: 1) by GreatAuntAnesthesia on Wednesday March 26 2014, @11:37AM
So you're saying that only people who have one of these "premier contracts" are customers?
At best, your comment would imply that in fact, Microsoft cares for _some_ of its customers.
BTW, you make it sound like you actually have one of these contracts that compels them to do "pretty much whatever you want". If so, I'm pretty sure we could come up with a pretty long laundry list of jobs for them, we'd be grateful if you could pass them on. Here's a few off the top of my head:
- Open up UEFI, or scrap it altogether
- Patch the security holes in your crappy OSes, rather than leaving them open for the benefit of NSA/CIA/other criminals.
- Use open standards. Properly.
- Stop threatening companies that use OSS with bullshit patents & license fees.
- Fix the fuck-up you caused at the ISO with their short-sighted bribery.
- Come clean about the Nokia fiasco, and compensate all the employees and shareholders you fucked over.
- Ditto for about a hundred other companies you've raped over the last 20 years.
- Stop spreading FUD about Google. I mean sure, they may not be angels, but they do nothing bad that Microsoft doesn't do 100x worse.
Please let me know when Microsoft have made a start on the above list. :-)
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Wednesday March 26 2014, @11:51AM
You clearly missed the part where you in addition to having said contract you also have to pay them if you want them to change something. My guess is that the price you'd have to pay to have your list done is more or less exactly the cost of all the shares in the company since you'd practically change the entire way the company operates. The 3 first points on your list could probably be had for a substansially lower price.
Microsoft operates very much like a politician, they don't pay much attention to the masses, but if you give them large sums of money things can be changed to fit your agenda.
(Score: 1) by GreatAuntAnesthesia on Wednesday March 26 2014, @11:56AM
The tone of your message (and of your previous one, assuming you are the same AC) almost sounds like you're defending Microsoft... then you go and liken them to a politician.
(Score: 1) by Anonymous Coward on Wednesday March 26 2014, @12:17PM
Same AC, I don't really see where I was defending m$, what I was simply stating all along is that if you want microsoft to bend to your will, the only realistic option is to give them money. It's naive to think that any large corporation would implement changes if they didn't make money in the process, all large corporations I've encountered behaves like psychopaths. Personally I think that they will become more and more irrelevant and slowly fade away into oblivion. Once gaming on linux becomes the norm, there will be no incentive for home users to pay for windows either.
(Score: 2) by Jaruzel on Thursday March 27 2014, @09:22AM
Open up UEFI, or scrap it altogether
Erm, UEFI is not a MS technology, other than that they are members of the (pretty wide) forum that supported it:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Unified_Extensible_Fi rmware_Interface [wikipedia.org]
Secure Boot is there to help all of us, regardless of OS, it is not an evil plot device created by the Redmond Overlords.
(On-topic: of course, an update auto nuking Grub and enabling Secure Boot without askings is a bit off, but hey it's MS and they feel that there is only one 'supportable configuration' for Windows, and always have done)
-Jar
Wash at 40°C, and hand dry only. My MUD Engine [jaruzel.com]