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In an unusual role reversal, Linux enthusiasts have been accused of spreading FUD (fear, uncertainty, doubt) about Windows 8, specifically the persistent rumours of a boot lock out which Microsoft has strenuously denied.
Microsoft first revealed that the firm was asking for a hardware change that will make it impossible to boot other code via a new Secure Boot feature in the UEFI BIOS. The feature is designed to boost security, to stop start-up hacks etc.
ZDNet’s Ed Bott weighed into the ongoing controversy by reaching out to a number of PC makers including Dell and PC, all of which confirmed that new Windows 8 PCs will have the feature to disable Secure Boot.
"The closer you look at the movement against the Secure Boot feature, the more apparent it becomes that this is about propaganda, not technology," said Bott.
Bott revealed that an employee of Linux distro firm Red Hat had been spreading a story that was blatantly false and "filled with laughable inaccuracies."
"That, ladies and gentlemen, is how a FUD campaign works," said Bott.
