> Then again most SoCs contain microcode
I thought this generally was not the case with ARM CPUs, only with Intel and
AMD (because x86 is so complicated). Instead ARM CPUs have other horrible
things, such as nonfree video drivers and firmware.
The thing about microcode is that it is stored on the BIOS flash chip, and
updates are loaded at runtime by the operating system (or not, as is the case
with Trisquel). It's a stupid design, mostly because x86 is dated; the design
has not really changed for decades other than adding more bloated extensions
for more power at the expense of battery life in laptop computers.
I certainly agree regarding Windows. Despite proprietary firmware's security
risk, it isn't really as bad for the average user as bloody crapware. They
scare people into paying for "security" through the bundled antivirus
software. Having a firmware for enabling certain hardware support is
understandable (especially wireless and 3d acceleration; bluetooth, not so
much), but of course it should be discouraged and should not be distributed
by the software distribution. They should tell people to demand better from
the hardware manufacturer first. Until that happens, the situation probably
won't change.
