Wednesday, September 21st 2016
Microsoft Entering Agreements with Laptop Makers to Block Linux
Digital freedom activists are up in arms over a discovery by Lenovo Yoga 900S and Yoga 710S users that you simply can't replace the pre-installed Windows 10 Signature Edition operating system with one of your choice, such as Linux. Redditor BaronHK tried installing Linux on their notebooks and couldn't, so a support ticket was raised with Lenovo to guide them to install Linux. Lenovo responded that the notebook features Windows 10 Signature Edition, and that "it has been locked as per Lenovo's agreement with Microsoft."
On the Yoga 900S and 710S, Lenovo deployed a proprietary soft-RAID setup that cannot be recognized by Linux installers. You can't even change the SATA controller mode in the BIOS setup program. Even Windows installations don't succeed without special F6_install drivers by Lenovo, and the company only provides drivers for Windows. Lenovo cannot argue that its hardware specifically requires Windows, because Live images of Linux, (such as Ubuntu) function just fine on these notebooks. It's just that you can't make your Live session permanent by installing Ubuntu on the device. Lenovo has since gone into full damage control and denial. It removed the thread from its support forums (view a cached copy), and even changed its explanation from "we blatantly admitted to anti-competitive practices that could cost us a billion-dollar class-action lawsuit" to "we simply don't have drivers for our deliberately unusual RAID setup."
Source:
The Next Web
On the Yoga 900S and 710S, Lenovo deployed a proprietary soft-RAID setup that cannot be recognized by Linux installers. You can't even change the SATA controller mode in the BIOS setup program. Even Windows installations don't succeed without special F6_install drivers by Lenovo, and the company only provides drivers for Windows. Lenovo cannot argue that its hardware specifically requires Windows, because Live images of Linux, (such as Ubuntu) function just fine on these notebooks. It's just that you can't make your Live session permanent by installing Ubuntu on the device. Lenovo has since gone into full damage control and denial. It removed the thread from its support forums (view a cached copy), and even changed its explanation from "we blatantly admitted to anti-competitive practices that could cost us a billion-dollar class-action lawsuit" to "we simply don't have drivers for our deliberately unusual RAID setup."
127 Comments on Microsoft Entering Agreements with Laptop Makers to Block Linux
are you people really so ill-informed as to believe that
again ill repeat my self because you people seem to lack some basic understanding of how computers work
IF Microsoft wanted to block linux installs all they would need todo is tell lenvo to revoke the public GRUB UEFI keys AND The key self-install option which is a whole hell of a lot harder to get around then simply not supporting ACHI mode on there NVME controller
again anybody that remotely understand the subject here will tell you that disabling ACHI is in no plausible way related to blocking linux its just a stupid decision made by lenvos historically inept firmware team
it would be horribly ineffective because the needed driver exists its just not in the mainline kernel you can build the needed kernel with the raid blob and it will work
Any moron who buys their shit deserves it!
you are looking for shadows where there are none
half the people here are reading misleading thread tittle and not doing there own research
but hey lets not let logic and common sense spoil the evil corporation-hate-train I mean I would't want you all to look stupid next week when lenvo releases a new bios to enable ACHI
/s
If I bought a Chromebook I would not be upset when I struggled putting win 10 on it ,no one would ,but this is slightly different.
Ubuntu ( Where to start.. pretty much they are on the same drugs as the Microsoft developers each release is more and more broken ) good idea just crap execution. Although it probably has some of the best free support. But its so broken it self. Something works on release then is borked the next 3 or so.
Slow to support new hardware
And accomplishing what they want to do more quickly.
Had 64bit linux doing bigger quake 3 maps years before it was possible on a windows platform.
When I posted, the whole story was not available, but I still wouldnt buy Lenovo.
And I was suitably punished for it, by Lenovo's screwed up functionality for those who want normal F1-F12 keys. By default, the keys are mapped to the volume, brightness, etc. hotkeys, and you have to hold down Fn to access F1-F12 (so, for example, a Ctrl-F4 requires Ctrl-Fn-F4). However, there's a BIOS setting that sets it back to normal - phew! But wait - that setting then swaps the Esc key to a hotkey, requiring the Fn modifier to use Esc. Argh! Managed to get a functional workaround after hours of searching, cursing and tearing hair out, meanwhile Lenovo's ignored the complains and hasn't come out with a proper fix.
The mention of the name "Lenovo" to this former ThinkPad-diehard now threatens to unleash a barely-supressed rage. Talk about further nails in that coffin with stories like this.
Linux has its use, routers, modems, cable boxes, other small devices, but there's no reason (that I can see) to use Linux on a PC over OS X / Sierra for example.
Microsoft accidently releases the key to its secure boot in new versions of Windows allowing installation of other OSs
rol.im/securegoldenkeyboot/
arstechnica.com/security/2016/08/microsoft-secure-boot-firmware-snafu-leaks-golden-key/
Where as there is the insane apple tax and the microsoft tax...
Unless there is something REALLY unusual with this raid setup, I'm missing something. This isn't anti-competitive.Actually, it's IBM's fault the PC is an open platform. They did not copyright the basic BIOS that forms a modern PC. Microsoft has been trying to take control of the platform ever since. Just sayin'.