Four ways to install Linux on Win 8 PC

        Microsoft RTM version of Windows 8 believes that many people have tried it. If it is difficult to install Linux on Windows 8 PC, what should we do? Four methods are provided below.

Starting Linux on UEFI

First, you need to start Linux on UEFI. Because there are very few PCs that use UEFI to replace BiOS except for Mac, so everyone doesn't care much from UEFI. Start Linux.

Now, many people who want to run Linux on a Mac use the compatible support module CSM to provide BiOS emulation on the Mac. This method is cumbersome and not working well, and it may be even worse on Secure Boot Windows 8 PC.

There are other better ways. The best current method is Rod Smith's EFI-Booting Ubuntu on a Mac guide. Others, such as the Linux kernel developer Greg Kroah-Hartman's skills are also worth a try. The biggest problem is still Secure Boot.

Protecting boot and Linux security

Ideally, Microsoft and its partners will deploy Secure Boot in the way Linux Foundation says, which is convenient for Linux. Installation, but this situation does not happen.

So, we have three different ways of replacing. At this time, I don't know which one will succeed. May eventually be used. This is very uncomfortable, but as Microsoft continues to dominate in this area, Linux developers will have to work hard in the toughest situations.

First of all, Linux developers need to deal with this problem. James Bottomley of the Linux Foundation Technical Advisory Board released the Intel Tianocore UEFI boot code and some code that Linux programmers can use to eliminate the Windows 8 Secure Boot limit.

Intel Tianocore is an open source image of Intel UEFI. Until recently, this image did not have Microsoft's verification code for Secure Boot. Now it has this feature. Delivering this functionality to developers greatly expands the crowd using UEFI Secure boot.

This allows programmers who don't have access to UEFI Secure Boot hardware to have a "virtual platform that allows them to experience their own solutions. But this is a dilemma. The safe boot of the Tianocore firmware only appears. In a few weeks, the signature tool has not yet appeared, so there is still a long way to go.

Even so, developers use their own security accessories to lock the secure boot virtual platform, using UEFI security with their own keys. For developers, this is a big step forward.

One way: Create a UEFI Secure Boot key for some versions. This method is also Canonical's approach to Ubuntu. Some people, such as the Free Software Foundation I hate this method.

Fedora, Red Hat's community Linux version decided to use Microsoft's key signing service Verisign. So in Fedora's plan, Fedora will use Microsoft's system to create its own Windows 8 system. Compatible with UEFI Secure Boot Key.

Of course, in many open source circles, this method is like a cloud. Red Hat developer Matthew Garrett defends it, saying: "It is better than Some programs are any cheaper. It is compatible with a large number of hardware and allows Fedora to avoid privileges other than Linux.

Frankly, as Ubuntu founder Mark Shuttleworth said, no plan can be perfect, but "Secure Boot's flaws in its design will eventually authorize Microsoft's key on every PC. Secure Boot's inability to support multiple signatures on key elements means that this option is limited, but we are always pursuing a good result."

Of course there is another way: using open source hardware and software. Of course, this is also the result that Linux PC open source manufacturers are happy to see.

With UEFI's Secure Boot, the Linux version does not need to be signed with Microsoft or use their secure boot. A computer that starts with open source boot mode is fine. Indeed, UEFI's Secure Boot is implemented at the original equipment manufacturer level, and all newly purchased PCs come with Secure Boot.

So open source vendors are definitely not willing to disable or use Fedora and Ubuntu. Disabling is OK, but disabling some features that protect security is silly. In the long run, people worry that the machine keyboard after running Linux in 2012 is very simple at first, but it will become more complicated later. It also has a major impact on OEMs. People worry that desktop Linux is too difficult for new users, and will gradually increase the decline of Linux.

Summary, the following points are the situation of today's Linux on Windows 8 PC:

I hope OEMs will disable Secure Boot during pre-boot. If so, then install Linux on Windows 8 PC. It won't be as difficult as it is on Windows 7 systems. However, this is not available on Windows RT ARM systems.

Using Linux, such as Fedora, you can use Microsoft's own Windows 8 signature tool to provide a Secure Boot compatible key.

Using the Linux version, such as Ubuntu, itself provides a Secure Boot compatible key.

Deprecation of Windows 8 systems, using open source hardware.

Some Linux distributions, such as openSUSE, don't know how they should cope with this situation.

So far, I don't know how to run Linux on a Windows 8 laptop or desktop. It depends on how OEMs handle Secure Boot.