[GRLUG] Cheap Laptop Needed

[Benjamin Flanders]

How can Intel Macs not have a bios?  Something has to initialize everything.

On 3/30/07, Greg Folkert <greg at gregfolkert.net> wrote:
> On Fri, 2007-03-30 at 14:25 -0400, Michael Mol wrote:
> > On 3/30/07, Greg Folkert <greg at gregfolkert.net> wrote:
> > > On Fri, 2007-03-30 at 13:54 -0400, phillip hebenstreit wrote:
> > > > HI,
> > > >
> > > > There is a software product called LoJack that tracks down your stolen
> > > > laptop and gives you info to give to the police.  I think they also
> > > > help you get it back.  All the new Dells come with a homing program
> > > > built into the bios that does the same thing.
> > >
> > > "Dude you are getting a jail sentence!"... No there is not a BIOS
> > > related homing program. What kind of crack did you buy and where can I
> > > get some?
> > >
> > > No, really, BIOS doesn't have this kind of support. If it did, imagine 3
> > > years from now how much traffic Dell's servers would be doing on *JUST*
> > > the machine sold in the previous 3 years. Imagine properly sold
> > > machine... you buy the Dell from your company or relative, BAM the
> > > police arrive and arrest you. Oops, you company/relative forgot to
> > > transfer the "location" and authentication info to you.
> > >
> > > No, you are thinking about the early boot programs that do that, for
> > > Windows only. MACs have that built-into the OS.
> > >
> > > Not even beginning to be in the BIOS. Maybe 20 years off.
> >
> > I wouldn't be surprised if modern BIOS could do it.  Heck, many are
> > already DHCP and PXE clients.  Why couldn't they send a simple ICMP
> > packet?  It's not like there's not enough room for the code.  You can
> > get a 2GB USB flash drive for $20 these days.
>
> 4MB is the largest BIOS available in current production. New Intel MACs
> don't even have a BIOS.
>
> Yes, I am aware, but BIOS companies and others related to this field are
> not interested (nor are the hardware manufacturers) in this particular
> thing. Yes, the possibility exists... but imagine the legal
> ramifications, just the privacy problems alone, would have costs in the
> ELEVENTY HUNDREDS of billions arena. Lets not even consider the punitive
> damages of the "hacker" laws passed recently.
>
> No, it is an arena nobody is going to go into, until privacy is a thing
> of the past. This being a point when we have implants to help us do
> things and communicate sort of like "Ghost in the Shell" works.
> --
> greg, greg at gregfolkert.net
>
> Novell's Directory Services is a competitive product to Microsoft's
> Active Directory in much the same way that the Saturn V is a competitive
> product to those dinky little model rockets that kids light off down at
> the playfield. -- Thane Walkup
>
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