Microsoft gets a grip on the BIOS

By Steve Malone

Posted on 6 Oct 2003 at 13:45

Microsoft has teamed up with Phoenix Technologies to create a new generation of the PC's Basic Input Output System (BIOS). The move will give Microsoft an even tighter grip on the basic design of the PC.

The companies say that the partnership will bring 'enhanced functionality' to the BIOS to increase the 'device's reliability, usability, manageability, and security'.

The BIOS, which was originally developed by IBM for the original PC, handles the hardware configuration of the computer and was what made the IBM machine different from other MS-DOS based machines running on Intel hardware. Over the years, Phoenix has become the de facto standard for those wishing to build an 'IBM PC compatible' computer.

Amongst the developments that Phoenix and Microsoft plan to work on are integration between the firmware and Microsoft debugging tools, improved reporting of the system hardware, better abilities to update and configure the hardware remotely and integration of the Phoenix Core System Software (CSS the next generation of the BIOS) with Windows.

Whilst the integration of the BIOS and the manufacturer of the leading operating system will make a lot of sense, the news will be greeted with dismay by Linux proponents and developers of rival systems tools such as Borland. The initiative will give Microsoft even more of an arm lock over the evolution of the PC hardware and the market for the basic development tools which are used to build applications. It will also help Microsoft in the development of Digital Rights Management on the PC and enable Microsoft to build software which can be locked at the hardware level.

See also

Phoenix rewrites the BIOS rules