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from the more-lock-in-is-just-what-we-needed dept.
FuckBeta writes:
"Guido Stepko reports - In an GOLEM interview at CEBIT 2014 fair, Frank Kuypers, technical account manager at INTEL corp., proudly presented a new feature in INTEL processors, called "hooks", beginning with the new 2014 "Merrifield" 64 bit SoC chip generation.
In the Intel network only mobiles with certain Android versions are allowed to use certain functionalities. If you then replace your Android version, e.g. by a free Cyanogenmod Android kernel, not only some chips would stop working, e.g. LTE/UMTS, but also mails from your employer would be blinded out, because now the processor itself would 'classify' the new software as 'risk'.
Now, beginning with the new 2014 power efficient mobile "Merrifield" processor generation, this functionality will be used to lock the processor for certain OS'es or OS versions. Whether there will be a SDK or use of this 'functionality' will be kept a secret, still is undecided, Kuypers said.
Ryan O'Dell sees a potential abuse of the technology: "You'll buy a computer from a shop with Windows OS and not be able to change to Linux or another OS in the future. You may be able to buy the processor unlocked for a sum. With mobile phones/tablets it can be worse with phone networks also potentially have a lock-in. It's a disaster for the consumer"
Google translation from German: (Google)
(Score: 5, Interesting) by Zyx Abacab on Sunday March 16 2014, @12:38AM
TFA and the summary are jumping to conclusions: the presence of this kind of hook is not the same as locking out other operating systems. In fact, the article's source doesn't even mention anything about OS locking!
The article also conflates microcode (Stefan Lang does a good job of pointing that out) and kernel hooks, suggesting that the author is full of hot air.
We should trust Intel only as far as we can throw it but, without a source, TFA's claim is just as credible as me saying that SoylentNews is powered by children's tears.
(Score: 2) by unitron on Sunday March 16 2014, @02:52AM
Hey, those kids are always crying about something anyway, might as well make use of it.
something something Slashcott something something Beta something something
(Score: 2) by tangomargarine on Monday March 17 2014, @03:53PM
If the possibility exists for them to use it that way, you can bet your ass that sooner or later they will do exactly that.
"Is that really true?" "I just spent the last hour telling you to think for yourself! Didn't you hear anything I said?"