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Re: Best Desktop Computer for Linux Mint

From Henrik Carlqvist <Henrik.Carlqvist@deadspam.com>
Newsgroups comp.os.linux.hardware
Subject Re: Best Desktop Computer for Linux Mint
Date 2021-03-24 20:55 +0000
Organization A noiseless patient Spider
Message-ID <s3g90e$910$2@dont-email.me> (permalink)
References <20210322145810.4efb70c6@jspc> <s3ca5c$ig8$1@news1.tnib.de> <s3cf0t$qb4$1@dont-email.me> <s3dg7m$hln$1@dont-email.me> <s3evpb$g6b$1@dont-email.me>

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On Wed, 24 Mar 2021 10:12:10 +0100, David Brown wrote:

> On 23/03/2021 20:40, Henrik Carlqvist wrote:
>> On Tue, 23 Mar 2021 11:13:48 +0100, David Brown wrote:
>>> There is nothing that a UEFI BIOS can do that a traditional BIOS
>>> cannot,
>> 
>> Yes it is. An UEFI BIOS is able to understand and modify contents on
>> file systems on the computer.
> 
> First, let me repeat - there is nothing that the UEFI BIOS can do that
> another BIOS cannot.  There is nothing hindering a non-UEFI BIOS being
> able to access files. 

In theory no, but in practice a traditional BIOS has size limits. With 
UEFI the BIOS got bloated and with this bloat came both problems from 
complexity and insecurity by design.

> A Coreboot BIOS, for example, has as much of a
> Linux system as you choose to compile into it.  It is not UEFI - it does
> not provide the UEFI-specified services, or need the UEFI partition.

Yes, I do not claim that UEFI is the only bloated BIOS. My intention was 
to compare UEFI with traditional (legacy) BIOS made to boot a DOS 
partition table with MBR.

> Secondly, a UEFI BIOS cannot access files except on a very simplistic
> and limited filesystem (fat32).  It can't work with files on NTFS, ext4,
> btrfs, raid, or anything else.

This is true, but some operating systems will look for files on that 
partition and run them.

> Traditional BIOSes have been able to block writes to boot sectors
> (previous to that, boot sector viruses were "popular".  The only virus I
> have ever had on a computer was a boot sector virus).

Yes, but a boot sector virus could be removed by replacing the drive or 
by simply overwriting the MBR. Malware which has gotten into your BIOS is 
a lot harder to get rid of.

regards Henrik

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Thread

Best Desktop Computer for Linux Mint Johnny <johnny@invalid.net> - 2021-03-22 14:58 -0500
  Re: Best Desktop Computer for Linux Mint Bobbie Sellers <bliss@mouse-potato.com> - 2021-03-22 13:20 -0700
    Re: Best Desktop Computer for Linux Mint Johnny <johnny@invalid.net> - 2021-03-22 15:46 -0500
      Re: Best Desktop Computer for Linux Mint Zebee Johnstone <zebeej@gmail.com> - 2021-03-23 00:35 +0000
  Re: Best Desktop Computer for Linux Mint Andrew <Doug@hyperspace.vogon.gov> - 2021-03-22 22:08 +0100
    Re: Best Desktop Computer for Linux Mint Johnny <johnny@invalid.net> - 2021-03-22 16:20 -0500
    Re: Best Desktop Computer for Linux Mint David Brown <david.brown@hesbynett.no> - 2021-03-23 08:30 +0100
  Re: Best Desktop Computer for Linux Mint David Brown <david.brown@hesbynett.no> - 2021-03-23 08:22 +0100
    Re: Best Desktop Computer for Linux Mint Scott Alfter <scott@alfter.diespammersdie.us> - 2021-03-24 16:24 +0000
      Re: Best Desktop Computer for Linux Mint Henrik Carlqvist <Henrik.Carlqvist@deadspam.com> - 2021-03-24 20:43 +0000
  Re: Best Desktop Computer for Linux Mint Marc Haber <mh+usenetspam1118@zugschl.us> - 2021-03-23 09:50 +0100
    Re: Best Desktop Computer for Linux Mint David Brown <david.brown@hesbynett.no> - 2021-03-23 11:13 +0100
      Re: Best Desktop Computer for Linux Mint Aragorn <thorongil@telenet.be> - 2021-03-23 11:59 +0100
        Re: Best Desktop Computer for Linux Mint David Brown <david.brown@hesbynett.no> - 2021-03-23 15:07 +0100
          Re: Best Desktop Computer for Linux Mint "David W. Hodgins" <dwhodgins@nomail.afraid.org> - 2021-03-23 13:19 -0400
            Re: Best Desktop Computer for Linux Mint David Brown <david.brown@hesbynett.no> - 2021-03-24 10:04 +0100
              Re: Best Desktop Computer for Linux Mint "David W. Hodgins" <dwhodgins@nomail.afraid.org> - 2021-03-24 05:36 -0400
      Re: Best Desktop Computer for Linux Mint Marc Haber <mh+usenetspam1118@zugschl.us> - 2021-03-23 13:46 +0100
        Re: Best Desktop Computer for Linux Mint David Brown <david.brown@hesbynett.no> - 2021-03-23 15:08 +0100
          Re: Best Desktop Computer for Linux Mint Marc Haber <mh+usenetspam1118@zugschl.us> - 2021-03-23 16:30 +0100
      Re: Best Desktop Computer for Linux Mint Henrik Carlqvist <Henrik.Carlqvist@deadspam.com> - 2021-03-23 19:40 +0000
        Re: Best Desktop Computer for Linux Mint David Brown <david.brown@hesbynett.no> - 2021-03-24 10:12 +0100
          Re: Best Desktop Computer for Linux Mint Henrik Carlqvist <Henrik.Carlqvist@deadspam.com> - 2021-03-24 20:55 +0000
        Re: Best Desktop Computer for Linux Mint Andrew <Doug@hyperspace.vogon.gov> - 2021-03-24 11:31 +0100
          Re: Best Desktop Computer for Linux Mint "David W. Hodgins" <dwhodgins@nomail.afraid.org> - 2021-03-24 11:20 -0400
        Re: Best Desktop Computer for Linux Mint Johnny <johnny@invalid.net> - 2021-03-24 07:49 -0500
          Re: Best Desktop Computer for Linux Mint Adrian Caspersz <email@here.invalid> - 2021-03-24 14:01 +0000
            Re: Best Desktop Computer for Linux Mint Johnny <johnny@invalid.net> - 2021-03-24 10:02 -0500
  Re: Best Desktop Computer for Linux Mint Scott Alfter <scott@alfter.diespammersdie.us> - 2021-03-24 16:05 +0000
    Re: Best Desktop Computer for Linux Mint Bobbie Sellers <bliss@mouse-potato.com> - 2021-03-24 11:46 -0700

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