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A number of users have reported that running "rm --no-preserve-root -rf /" not only deletes all their files (as expected), but also permanently bricks their computers (which is not). Tracing the issue revealed that the ultimate cause was that SystemD mounted the EFI pseudo-fs as read-write even when this FS was not listed in fstab, and deleting certain files in this pseudo-fs causes certain buggy, but very common, firmware not to POST anymore. A user reported this bug on SystemD's GitHub issue tracker, asking that the FS be mounted read-only instead of read-write, and said bug was immediately closed as invalid. The comment thread for the bug was locked shortly after. Discuss.
Links:
https://github.com/systemd/systemd/issues/2402
http://thenextweb.com/insider/2016/02/01/running-a-single-delete-command-can-permanently-brick-laptops-from-inside-linux/
(Score: 3, Interesting) by hemocyanin on Tuesday February 09 2016, @05:47AM
I did it once by accident about 10 years ago -- more precisely, I did an rm -rf * after accidentally cd-ing to / rather than to where I wanted to go, as root of course. Yeah I know. Back then, all it meant was a reinstall which aside from being hassle wasn't the end of the world.
I get that MSI screwed up their EFI implementation, but it's a known issue and to absolutely refuse to make a software package safely handle known issues is just weird in the extreme. Aside from compatibility lists, do we now need lists of hardware that "linux" (for this is how it will be perceived) won't destroy merely by use?
(Score: 3, Insightful) by Hairyfeet on Tuesday February 09 2016, @06:40AM
"do we now need lists of hardware that "linux" (for this is how it will be perceived) won't destroy merely by use?" And THAT is why its a SystemD bug, because of this (frankly retarded, there should be NO REASON to mount it unless you are expressly altering it) bug you've just created a situation where OEMs have a legitimate reason to put on their hardware "Linux is NOT recommended and can in fact break this hardware and will void your warranty" and will be perfectly justified in doing so.
Remember folks a good experience? Gets told to a couple people at most, a bad experience? Gets told to a dozen or more. Of course Larry Pooter and his Masters at Red Hat really do not give a flipping flying fuck what YOU think, you filthy peasants, all they care about is fortune 50 "cloud" customers. Hell read old Larry's postings sometime, he really makes it quite clear what he believes the "future of Linux" is gonna be an the vast majority of Linux users? Would probably feel more at home on windows than on what he and his bosses have in mind which is Linux as nothing but a VM on a SystemD hypervisior, a second class citizen on its own fricking platform!
ACs are never seen so don't bother. Always ready to show SJWs for the racists they are.