CPU/Mobo ASUS introduces GUI BIOS for P5Q Series

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Adept
[youtube]EUvrXJ2fT_M[/youtube]

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ASUSTek is on the verge of releasing a graphic user interface (GUI) BIOS for all users of the P5Q motherboard series. The new type of BIOS called an Extensible Firmware Interface (EFI) makes the transition from an older keyboard driven environment to something so much more appealing and easier to use. At this stage it doesn't add any extra features except stylish good looks, but for those users who have been afraid of delving into the BIOS, now is your chance, especially if you feel comfortable in a Windows environment. You can monitor temperatures using color coded bars, and navigating with a mouse makes the BIOS much more user friendly and easy to use. Please leave your comments and any ideas you might have to further advance the EFI BIOS and we will relay them to the people involved with the this project.
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ASUSTeK Computer Inc.-Forum- EFI BIOS
 
My first comp bought in 97 had a GUI based bios. It was made by American megatrends and was a HX board for the mmx based intel procys. Never saw one after that.
 
The P5Q series already had a DFI like BIOS, its a nice feature but of no real use, much like the Express Gate feature for majority of users in that segment.
 
random2 said:
My first comp bought in 97 had a GUI based bios. It was made by American megatrends and was a HX board for the mmx based intel procys. Never saw one after that.
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P5Q bios is also by Amercian megatrends.
 
I just want to point you guys to another BIOS - Coreboot (formerly LinuxBIOS)

What are your thoughts on the Extensible Firmware Interface (EFI)?

I have spoken with the EFI authors at length. They make no secret of the fact that a "core value" of EFI is the preservation of intellectual property related to chipset programming and internal architecture. To put it another way, EFI is dedicated to the preservation of "Hard" hardware (as defined above), and the provision of binary interfaces and subsystems to BIOS vendors and others.

It is not really possible to build a full open-source BIOS if EFI is involved. The Tiano system, which Intel claims is an open source BIOS, can not be used to build a BIOS unless it is attached to proprietary, binary-only BIOS code provided by a vendor.

Another important thing to realize about EFI is that it also contemplates enabling chipset features that will trap certain OS operations to an EFI-based control system running in System Management Mode. In other words, under EFI, there is no guarantee that the OS owns the platform.

Accesses to IDE I/O addresses, or certain memory addresses, can be trapped to EFI code and potentially examined and modified or aborted. Many see this as an effort to build a "DRM BIOS".

I am not sure what the real intent of this design is, but is is a real concern in secure environments (such as those found in governments, banks, and large search engine companies). A number of vendors and users have told me that they are not sure they can ship an EFI system they are willing to trust in a secure environment.
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It's no surprise Apple uses EFI - and it's OS is highly, highly dependent on it . All hackintosh projects (Chameleon, PcEFI) are attempts to break the bios... the OS itself is very compatible.

I, welcome our new DRM overlords...

BTW, here's the Dell Ideastorm idea for it - IdeaStorm | Resist EFI for your customers!
 
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