Thank you everyone for those excellent points. The clarity of my definitions
are not good, too much of doing my own thing I guess. Usually I do not have
to explain things to a high degree of detail. More often I don't have to
explain things at all, because no one cares! haha.
As I've said I will continue doing my own thing. Your points are well taken.
One thing still has me concerned though.
Thank you magic b for getting that RMS quote. When he says "The microcode was
just something that was inside of a chip. It might as well have been a
circuit. It was not something we had to care about. But when it became
something that users were expected to replace, then it changed into software
installed in a computer, which is something we do have to care about."
Ok. When "...users were expected to replace, then it changed..." what about
when something changes the functioning of the hardware and users don't know
about it? Is that something we have to care about too in a freedom sense?
Will free software provide freedom on such a machine?
Does anyone know how vPro works, or DASH features? Can they be
opened/closed/started/stopped/changed without the user knowing? Absolutely.
The system administrator can do things and the user doesn't have to know.
Excellent old vPro demo
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wlj7u3tOQ9s (start at 1:20)
Back then, there were 15 "out-of-band" features. Does anyone believe there
are fewer now?
As a private individual using my own money for my own computer, do I need
anyone to "administrate" it besides me? Can I make sure that I can lock out
such features? Can I make sure such features aren't there?
I know I do not want such features.
That, plus I want the ability to run free software.
There are still non-corporate secret or spying issues I suppose but those are
likely focused on mainstream devices if mass surveillance is the goal.
Non-mainstrean products that are simple or basic and are made by small nearly
unknown companies seem less likely to have such junk in them. That is the
type of hardware source I will continue to look for.
If I find something interesting, I will post it here. If anyone is able to
correctly interpret what I am looking for and knows of a good lead, please
post it here as well. Thank you.
