I live in a 1st world country and have lots of new computers that this
change would not affect. However I still have some older computers that
fall outside the UEFI range and use only BIOS. I would still like to
keep these computers running and up to date so that they are secure and
have the most recent fixes. I also know many people who only have access
to 2nd or 3rd hand computers.
I do have a strong opinion and I say that it is too early to drop BIOS
support. There will probably be BIOS-only computers out there for years.
And one of the things I tell people when getting them to try Linux is
that it can extend the useful lives of those really old computers.
Thanks for considering my opinion.
--
*********************************************************
David P. Both, RHCE
He/Him/His
*********************************************************
www.both.org - My personal web site
www.Linux-Databook.info - Home of the DataBook for Linux
DataBook is a Registered Trademark of David Both
*********************************************************
The value of any software lies in its usefulness
not in its price.
— Linus Torvalds
*********************************************************
On Wed, 6 Apr 2022, JT wrote:
> Date: Wed, 6 Apr 2022 08:50:18
> From: JT <jt(a)obs-sec.com>
> Reply-To: Development discussions related to Fedora
> <devel(a)lists.fedoraproject.org>
> To: Development discussions related to Fedora <devel(a)lists.fedoraproject.org>
> Cc: laolux laolux <laolux(a)rocketmail.com>
> Subject: Re: F37 Change: Deprecate Legacy BIOS (System-Wide Change proposal)
>
> On Wed, Apr 6, 2022 at 4:06 AM laolux laolux via devel <
> devel(a)lists.fedoraproject.org> wrote:
>
>> I have no strong opinion on this, and not much say anyways, but I thought
>> I could share my little piece of info.
>> My currently one and only computer is a 2012 MSI GE60 0ND, with a core
>> i7-3630QM, 16GB RAM and retrofitted with a SSD.
>> So I would say fast enough for using Fedora. At least according to
>>
notebookcheck.com the CPU is supposed to be faster than a rather recent
>> Core i3-1110G4, which is still being used in new notebooks in 2022.
>> Unfortunately it only supports legacy BIOS, and not UEFI.
>> Thus I do not like the wording of the change proposal.
>>
>>> Fedora already requires a 2GHz dual core CPU at minimum (and therefore
>>> mandates that machines must have been made after 2006). Like the
>>> already accepted Fedora 37 change to retire ARMv7 support, the
>>> hardware targeted tends to be rather underpowered by today’s
>>> standards, and the world has moved on from it. Intel stopped shipping
>>> the last vestiges of BIOS support in 2020 (as have other vendors, and
>>> Apple and Microsoft), so this is clearly the way things are heading -
>>> and therefore aligns with Fedora’s “First” objective.
>>
>> This seems to imply that only rather old and weak hardware would be
>> affected, when clearly the cutoff is (at maximum) only 10 years back.
>> Please don't get me wrong, I am perfectly fine about Fedora dropping
"old"
>> hardware, and I am willing to throw away my still working notebook,
>> producing a little bit electronic waste when the time comes. But I think
>> one should be more open and explicit about it.
>>
>>
> At the risk of being 'that guy' it's worth pointing out that not
everyone
> lives in a 1st world country and has access to cheap powerful hardware. I
> have good friends in Namibia and Cote d'Ivoire who are still using Fedora
> on Core2Duo systems from pre 2010, because the machines are still perfectly
> functional and do what they need them to do.
> I realize some will have the attitude of "they can just not upgrade and
> keep using their old Fedora versions". Ok, that's a possible solution,
> except that Fedora versions get EOL'd pretty quickly, so we'd basically be
> taking the stance of 'buy new hardware if you want updates'.
>
> Fedora has made a big deal about being considered a "Digital Public Good";
> and we are right to be proud of that. But if we're going to be proud of
> that, let's not also decide to screw over areas that are not as
> economically strong as where most of us are lucky enough to live. It's
> kind of arrogant of us to expect that everyone who uses Fedora is
> financially able to go out and replace their hardware all the time even
> when there's nothing wrong with it.
> Are we only making Fedora for those with lots of spare money or is Fedora
> for everyone?
> /end being that guy
>