Joshua
10-06-2003, 09:48 AM
Microsoft Moves Windows Closer to the Metal
Microsoft is working closely with BIOS maker Phoenix Technologies
to ensure that future versions of Windows work more closely with a
PC's BIOS and have more direct control over hardware. The new,
expanded relationship between the companies is designed to make PCs
easier to use and more reliable, Microsoft says. But consumer-rights
advocates are already up in arms, arguing that the deal will help the
companies force Digital Rights Management (DRM) technologies on
customers; this technology, they say, could reduce the control users
have over their computers.
A PC's BIOS is the basic system software that runs before Windows
boots; it controls low-level system tasks such as the order in which
devices boot. By more closely integrating Windows with the BIOS,
Microsoft can combine its upcoming Next-Generation Secure Computing
Base (NGSCB) technology with Phoenix's Core Managed Environment (cME),
which includes DRM technology. The companies say that cME and NGSCB
are currently complementary technologies that users can disable.
"This [deal] is a pivotal change for the industry, and it will
rapidly advance serviceability, deployment, and management for
servers, mobile devices, and desktops," Tom Phillips, general manager
of the Microsoft Windows Hardware Experience Group, said.
"Effectively, Phoenix is creating an entirely new category of system
software."
Microsoft is working closely with BIOS maker Phoenix Technologies
to ensure that future versions of Windows work more closely with a
PC's BIOS and have more direct control over hardware. The new,
expanded relationship between the companies is designed to make PCs
easier to use and more reliable, Microsoft says. But consumer-rights
advocates are already up in arms, arguing that the deal will help the
companies force Digital Rights Management (DRM) technologies on
customers; this technology, they say, could reduce the control users
have over their computers.
A PC's BIOS is the basic system software that runs before Windows
boots; it controls low-level system tasks such as the order in which
devices boot. By more closely integrating Windows with the BIOS,
Microsoft can combine its upcoming Next-Generation Secure Computing
Base (NGSCB) technology with Phoenix's Core Managed Environment (cME),
which includes DRM technology. The companies say that cME and NGSCB
are currently complementary technologies that users can disable.
"This [deal] is a pivotal change for the industry, and it will
rapidly advance serviceability, deployment, and management for
servers, mobile devices, and desktops," Tom Phillips, general manager
of the Microsoft Windows Hardware Experience Group, said.
"Effectively, Phoenix is creating an entirely new category of system
software."