Linux Losing Interest in Users' Freedom, Pursues DRM Instead
Earlier this month: Growing Proportion of Linux Commits Being Made by LLMs Not a Sign of LLMs Working, It's a Sign of Linux Development Being Shifted From Community to GAFAM and Other Slop Pushers
2006:
2012-present:
Present (Linux 7.2 onwards):
References:
"Essentially, Linux 7.2 now requires that x86 CPUs are compatible with the Time Stamp Counter (TS C) before it boots. If it doesn't support TSC, the kernel will refuse to boot." -Valnet
The above-mentioned TSC-related change seems - at least on the surface (sans sensationalism) - unimportant, may generally seem "boring", it will likely seem banal, it's something we're meant to assume impacts nobody in practice.
First they came for TSC...
If the above seems like a form of DRM or sounds like Tivoisation (even without TiVo), that's because it's more or less what's going on. If it's not there (TSC), why refuse to boot? What is there to gain from the refusal?
This sort of normalises what TiVo did in 2006-ish.
This is a change in the "Linux" mindset on many levels (e.g. accept unaudited slop 'code' while throwing away 'old' code meticulously worked on by actual developers, not plagiarism engines).
Is this the general direction of Linux? Code that no human understands or checks? How can back doors be detected and prevented?
TSC as a requirement isn't about security. For many reasons!
"Also," as an associate notes, "California has passed a law requiring DRM and surveillance in 3D printers. All of those run Linux (not necessarily GNU) embedded." [1, 2]
"Linux" is (or was, as GNU/Linux) meant to empower - not artificially restrict - the users. █