Yes, I realize that present firmware doesn't *act* on the auto-detected bootable media, it just boots from the default drive (or from the boot-order specified in the config). But it could work the way I wish it did.
As you point out, the firmware vendor (AMI and friends) and system vendors (Dell/HP/Lenovo/Samsung/friends) were against such things, back when the current firmware spec-standards were developed. And I agree that getting anything changed under win8 is not-gonna-happen-no-way-no-how. I'm more interested in a few years from now.
Besides the Linux distros, there are other interested parties that might support some variant of my easy-to-add-new-digisig proposal, circa 2015. By then, google will have Android slash ChromeOS pushing into the mid-range laptop market. By then, there will be at least four major tablet OSes: win9, iOS, android-slash-chromeOS, ubuntuTouch-or-waylandPi, and at least *some* consumers will want the ability to crossgrade amongst those choices, rather than be stuck with a phone or tablet that won't be upgradeable. That's the biggest takeaway from the Tony-thread: plenty of people were mad that they *thought* the machine might be locked down that way, whether it was technically true or not. (Contrast that with the world of smartphones, where locked-down iPhone never used to raise eyebrows. Maybe that sentiment is shifting?)
Part of the reason that Linux got the short end of the stick in UEFI/SecureBoot was because we were reactionary, not proactive, methinks. I'd like to fix that, next time around.
Re: Sure-Fire Way To Install $OS_OF_YOUR_CHOICE
As you point out, the firmware vendor (AMI and friends) and system vendors (Dell/HP/Lenovo/Samsung/friends) were against such things, back when the current firmware spec-standards were developed. And I agree that getting anything changed under win8 is not-gonna-happen-no-way-no-how. I'm more interested in a few years from now.
Besides the Linux distros, there are other interested parties that might support some variant of my easy-to-add-new-digisig proposal, circa 2015. By then, google will have Android slash ChromeOS pushing into the mid-range laptop market. By then, there will be at least four major tablet OSes: win9, iOS, android-slash-chromeOS, ubuntuTouch-or-waylandPi, and at least *some* consumers will want the ability to crossgrade amongst those choices, rather than be stuck with a phone or tablet that won't be upgradeable. That's the biggest takeaway from the Tony-thread: plenty of people were mad that they *thought* the machine might be locked down that way, whether it was technically true or not. (Contrast that with the world of smartphones, where locked-down iPhone never used to raise eyebrows. Maybe that sentiment is shifting?)
Part of the reason that Linux got the short end of the stick in UEFI/SecureBoot was because we were reactionary, not proactive, methinks. I'd like to fix that, next time around.