[KLUG Members] DRM in every Samsung machine

[Bruce Smith]

> After all, I can make up a Knoppix spinoff distro, a trojan horse
> whose purpose is to LOOK like Windows booting up, to the point where
> you key in your password to decrypt the hard drive, at which point
> my software squirrels away your password and reboots into the real
> Windows.  All I have to do is quietly stick a CD in your drive!
> The only way to prevent password theft will be to have a BIOS that
> refuses to boot the evil "hacker operating systems" like Linux...
> 
> ...right?

OK, you sold me.  Where do I buy one of the new machines?  ;-)

Actually stealing passwords with physical access is easier than that,
all you need is one of those PS/2 or USB keystroke loggers installed.
I don't think DRM is going to prevent that.

> > > "Mark my words" :(
> > 
> > So what can lowly people like us do to prevent this from happening?
> > Or are we doomed to set back and watch M$ slowly kill Linux?
> 
> Some actions that will have an effect are to vote with our wallets
> (don't support the companies that are eager to rush to the new
> regime) and to speak out whenever -- as they soon will be --
> machines that don't do DRM are characterized as "pirate" computers,
> "hacker" computers, "virus-spreader" computers, etc.

Good advice.

I assume that you don't believe it's likely that, given a couple weeks,
someone is going to hack these DRM BIOS's and get Linux running on them
anyway?  What are the odds of that happening (in your opinion)?

 - BS