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Altoid

Member

Registered: 2017-05-07

Posts: 1,581  

Interesting article - systemd reaches out further

Hello:

Just came across this article from The Register, one of my usual reading spots every morn.

As I started to read it, I immediately recalled Mike-thinky's plight.

Just a small tidbit to whet your appetite:

Three of the last four new laptops that have landed on The Reg FOSS desk came with Windows' Bitlocker FDE turned on by default. (The only one that didn't was Tuxedo Computers' Stellaris gen 4, a gaming laptop with a multicolor illuminated mechanical keyboard. As a machine intended to run Linux, that's not really a surprise.)

Many users might never even notice it, unless they try to dual-boot the computer with a non-Windows OS and find that nothing else can read the disk. Never fear: we have described how to turn it off and make such a machine ready to dual-boot.

I for one won't be letting go of my legacy BIOS booting box anytime soon, even if I have to resort to learning how to spin a custom tailored kernel for it.
But ...

How long will I be able to hold out?

Best,

A.

Last edited by Altoid (2023-02-17 20:47:13)

andyprough

Member

Registered: 2019-10-19

Posts: 327  

Re: Interesting article - systemd reaches out further

How long will I be able to hold out?

There are plenty of laptop vendors selling corebooted Linux laptops at relatively decent prices these days. And of course if you want a desktop, you can just build your own if you don't want to buy a corebooted one. There's no real need to buy hardware designed for Windows any longer from my view.

As far as how long can you run your current equipment? I use a couple of 12-year old systems, and they run fine for the simple office tasks I use them for. They run normal Devuan, I don't need to use any special kernels. As long as you have an SSD in them, yours should give you many years of good use I would think.

Camtaf

Member

Registered: 2019-11-19

Posts: 436  

Re: Interesting article - systemd reaches out further

All that this means is that a lot of knowledgeable computer users will either build their own or buy pre used equipment free from this crap, so a Windows machine will be like buying a ChromeOS/Android machine, & therefore just have a smaller market potential - computer manufacturers will see their profits fall exponetially.

I have a stock of useable MBR thin clients, & a few UEFI, that can be used in MBR mode too, so I'll be alright......

Also I am using BSD & Haiku on some of these machines, so even if the Corporates take over Linux, I'll be fine....

Last edited by Camtaf (2023-02-18 10:02:45)

Altoid

Member

Registered: 2017-05-07

Posts: 1,581  

Re: Interesting article - systemd reaches out further

Hello:

... plenty of laptop vendors selling corebooted Linux laptops ...

I have not been into laptops/portables for for over 15 years now.
For me, they ended up being rather expensive propositions with a very limited lifespan and nought repair possibilities.
ie: in comparison to all other hardware I have owned.

... if you want a desktop, you can just build your own ...

That's what I did for many years till I purchased the box I have now and upgraded it to its full potential.
It's a Sun Microsystems Ultra 24 WS purchased in late 2015, second hand with ~ 4 years' use but in mint condition.

Like you point out, this is a WinTel thing, which obviously includes AMD and it will continue as it has been a very profitable business model for all involved.

The thing is that I don't see where to look for an aternative board/processor for this nice box.
And as the article I linked to makes blindingly obvious, the systemd virus is expanding more and more each day.

Thanks for your input.

Best,

A.