Its amazing that Linux can so thoroughly have won in the device world and yet MS is still every fan boys favorite boogeyman. This is such a non event.
Microsoft aren't forcing Lenovo to block free operating systems
111–120 of 257 posts
Re: Microsoft aren't forcing Lenovo to block free operating systems
#112Also worth noting Lenovo's official statment on the matter http://www.techrepublic.com/article/lenovo-denies-deliberate... confirming that they have not blocked the installation of alternate operating systems. It was a shame to see the initial posts this morning hit the top of the page without any more evidence than a single customer support rep. who was unlikely to realistically have inside knowledge of some kind of…
That's just nitpicking. They blocked the enabling of a setting which allows Linux to see the hard disk. They went out of their way to make a firmware change that has the effect that you cannot run Linux - unless you flash your BIOS or you write a driver. In my book, they effectively blocked the installation of Linux. Now, there are two options. 1) to support this hardware correctly, you'd need to make complex changes…
> They blocked the enabling of a setting which allows Linux to see the hard disk.
Or, alternatively, they removed a firmware setting that makes their hardware work less well and didn't think about Linux at all.
Re: Microsoft aren't forcing Lenovo to block free operating systems
#113Earlier quoted context omitted.
Moment I saw it this morning I was like "probably one of those SSDs with a really weird driver setup". My Surface Pro 4 has one too, and Acronis didn't initially work with it either.
Except that's an inaccurate assumption. If you actually read the specifics about the situation, you'll learn that the SSD is set up in RAID mode, and the Intel hardware also supports AHCI mode. Acronis and all other OSes do not have driver-level support for this new experimental RAID hardware at all; they do support AHCI, of course, like they have for years. The BIOS normally has an option to revert the hardware back…
My understanding is that experimental support for the new RAID mode in Linux already exists. AFAIK, Acronis boots a Linux-based OS, and they were able to get it to support the Surface Pro 4 when it's using that mode, so presumably, they figured it out.
As far as why Lenovo restricted it, it's likely for the same reason Lenovo was prohibited from preinstalling software. Signature PCs claim to have the "best" performance settings, mandated by Microsoft. If NVMe is superior to AHCI, Microsoft would sensibly mandate NVMe.
Re: Microsoft aren't forcing Lenovo to block free operating systems
#114Earlier quoted context omitted.
Abosutely people are totally free not to buy their stuff. But that does not make it a conspiracy by MS or Lenovo. it is a commercial decision. companies get to make those consumers then get to choose whether to buy their stuff but it's not a conspiracy.
It may not be a conspiracy but it is certainly newsworthy. I've got a son who is getting to be about the age where a young man is ready for his spirit journey and will be sent to his room with an old laptop, his father's slackware disks, and a static IP and he will not be let out until www.youreamannow.com reads, "please bring me snacks." I would hate to send him unprepared into the wild with a Lenovo.
Slackware, you're being kind there, surely http://www.linuxfromscratch.org/ is the only way to experience your first linux install (although it's still a bit easy seeing as how people can use flash drives rather than Floppy disks for the install)
Re: Microsoft aren't forcing Lenovo to block free operating systems
#115Also worth noting Lenovo's official statment on the matter http://www.techrepublic.com/article/lenovo-denies-deliberate... confirming that they have not blocked the installation of alternate operating systems. It was a shame to see the initial posts this morning hit the top of the page without any more evidence than a single customer support rep. who was unlikely to realistically have inside knowledge of some kind of…
That's just nitpicking. They blocked the enabling of a setting which allows Linux to see the hard disk. They went out of their way to make a firmware change that has the effect that you cannot run Linux - unless you flash your BIOS or you write a driver. In my book, they effectively blocked the installation of Linux. Now, there are two options. 1) to support this hardware correctly, you'd need to make complex changes…
What about other big customers of Lenovo ? Those that use Linux for Java development but are not Microsoft for example. I don't see this as carelessness, and how much money would a market leader make from such a corrupt request?
Re: Microsoft aren't forcing Lenovo to block free operating systems
#116> Why not offer the option to disable it? A user who does would end up with a machine that doesn't boot The modder that flashed the custom BIOS was able to boot linux on his first try.
But which wouldn't have run the pre-installed OS any more
Re: Microsoft aren't forcing Lenovo to block free operating systems
#117So why i can't install Ubuntu on my Lenovo laptop?
Have you opened up a bug with the new new PCI ID so they can be added to the kernel?
Re: Microsoft aren't forcing Lenovo to block free operating systems
#118Earlier quoted context omitted.
You misread it. RAID forces the use of the Intel driver vs the Microsoft one. The Intel provided driver enables power saving. So it's not the RAID that saves power, it's the [use of the] driver.
Okay, then make the default setting RAID in the BIOS, don't proactively prevent (or should I say, restrict) that setting from being changed at all.
Why? Why should Lenovo let 99% of their users use sub-par drivers when they reinstall Windows?
Re: Microsoft aren't forcing Lenovo to block free operating systems
#119Their spin that it is "our super advanced Intel RAID chipset" really plays in their favor, given that their BIOS uses a single goto statement to intentionally block access to the ability to set this chipset into the AHCI compatible mode that the hardware so readily supports, as evidenced by the REing work and the fact that other OSes detect the drive after the AHCI fix using the custom-flashed BIOS. So, why are they…
This is not a good PR move for Lenovo and the whole meltdown has been terribly handled as we can clearly see.
However shipping a new BIOS that opens the option to run with less than optimal drivers for the majority of their users (Windows users) it is not a good idea. There are costs to ship a BIOS with and without the "band-aid" and to support it. There are also costs for all the support calls they think they'll get if their laptop doesn't work well on Windows (which is again probably 99% of their user base) and all the returned laptops they'll get because [battery|temperature|performance|stability] issues.
Also, come on, Linux is not that important nor threatening on the desktop market for anyone to try to actively block it. We think we're super smart for catching big corporations red-handed with their conspiracies, but realistically no one gives a shit about Linux on laptops. No one would go out of their way to specifically screw with Linux. Linux has lost the desktop wars, but not against Windows: Against Apple.
Seriously, this whole clusterfuck has apparently been done to avoid Windows using its own drivers; not even Windows 10 can be installed unless you get those drivers.
As a long time Linux user (disclosure: I pretty much use every major OS out there) I tell you this was called Tuesday not so long ago. There would be a new piece of hardware and you'd be screwed. No Linux for you on this or that laptop or with that graphics card or external gadget. Printers, scanners, anything you could plug on a PCI port. Man, that was hell.
These days you easily get supported hardware because companies have been much better at creating Linux drivers or making it easy for someone else to do it. The difference is that before we were more humble and brought decent arguments on the table to push the companies to be compatible with Linux.
It was a bad decision, but it might not be good to unblock it either.
Re: Microsoft aren't forcing Lenovo to block free operating systems
#120Earlier quoted context omitted.
What conceivable commercial purpose of Lenovo is served by making it difficult for people to install operating systems other than Windows 10 on their laptops?
that's easy, they don't spend money on developing drivers for Linux. Every OS they support costs money in developer time. It's a commercial trade-off what Operating Systems to support. Put it this way, do you see lenovo or Dell or HP developing drivers for OpenBSD? there's no commercial ROI on that, so they don't In this case it would appear that Lenovo don't think there's a commercial reason to help out with Linux d…
I'm a bit puzzled as to how a low-karma user with no submissions is able to post so many comments, when there's supposed to be a timed comment limit to prevent exactly this sort of repetitive go-nowhere discussion.