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I Bent My Wookiee · Mar 10, 2006, 01:03 AM

"Microsoft revealed today that it will not support EFI booting for Windows Vista on its launch. The news will be a shock for owners of Intel Macs who had hoped they would be able to dual-boot between Windows Vista and OS X. Intel Macs only support booting via EFI."

http://apcmag.com/apc/v3.nsf/0/E666E...25712C008166C4

Chuckit · Mar 10, 2006, 01:06 AM

Wait, Longhorn will be missing a feature it was supposed to have? NO WAI!!1!

alphasubzero949 · Mar 10, 2006, 01:12 AM

So much for dual-booting an Intel Mac. Time to get WINE to step up to the plate.

mduell · Mar 10, 2006, 01:12 AM

Already a thread on this.

The real bomb isn't that Vista won't have EFI at launch, it's that there will never be EFI support in the 32-bit version.

Perhaps Apple caught wind of this, and that's why they disabled the legacy compatibility mode on the Intel Macs?

Salty · Mar 10, 2006, 01:28 AM

I don't think Apple wants to make Windows booting too tough, just tough enough that your mom won't want to do it.

Chuckit · Mar 10, 2006, 01:53 AM

Of course, your mom is willing to do anything!

Yes, ladies and gentlemen, I did go there.

Salty · Mar 10, 2006, 01:56 AM

Originally Posted by Chuckit

Of course, your mom is willing to do anything!

Yes, ladies and gentlemen, I did go there.

I should send you a photo of my mom.

meelk · Mar 10, 2006, 02:06 AM

lets see if Mr. Dog thinks this thread is meaningful.

ok, apparently not.

Big Mac · Mar 10, 2006, 05:04 AM

This may be the nicest thing M$ has ever done for Apple. Kudos, M$.

Kevin · Mar 10, 2006, 06:18 AM

Originally Posted by Salty

I don't think Apple wants to make Windows booting too tough, just tough enough that your mom won't want to do it.

Why would MS care what computer Windows runs on? They aren't a hardware company. They'd make Windows work on a toaster if they think people would use it.

TETENAL · Mar 10, 2006, 06:35 AM

Except of Mac booting, what would be the incentive for Microsoft to support EFI? What for did Intel invent this technology?

Ken_F2 · Mar 10, 2006, 07:36 AM

Except of Mac booting, what would be the incentive for Microsoft to support EFI? What for did Intel invent this technology?

The PC platform is expected to use EFI beginning in 2H 2007.

Sort of pointless for Microsoft to implement a feature before any of their customers can use it.

Millennium · 10:48 AM

Originally Posted by Salty

I don't think Apple wants to make Windows booting too tough, just tough enough that your mom won't want to do it.

I disagree. Apple still considers itself a hardware company, even though the userbase buys it almost entirely for either the software or a combination of the two. Apple isn't stupid; they know that people come for the software. But rather than converting to a software-based business model, they prefer to keep the ultra-high profit margins on hardware, and the only way to do that is by making sure you're locked into Apple hardware if you want to use Apple software.

turtle777 · Mar 10, 2006, 08:29 AM

Not surprising.

I mean, let's be real, most of the Mac users who would run Vista on their Macs would probably use a pirated version, only few would buy Visa for that. So M$ is not losing lots of money with this move. Financially, there was not incentive to make it happen, so they didn't.

-t

hart · Mar 10, 2006, 08:54 AM

from: http://www.nytimes.com/cnet/CNET_210...3-6048250.html

No Vista on Mac's horizon
Ina Fried, for News.com
Published: March 9, 2006
SAN FRANCISCO--Hoping your Intel Mac will easily run Windows Vista?

Don't bet on it, one Apple Computer engineer said Thursday.

Mac fans have held out considerable hope that the next version of Windows would be easier to load on Macs than Windows XP, because like Mac OS X, Vista will use Extensible Firmware Interface (EFI) to aid the boot process. Older versions of Windows have used Basic Input Output System (BIOS).

In more bad news for the Vista-on-Mac crowd, Microsoft reportedly told another IDF session on Thursday that the initial release of Vista won't be supporting EFI at all.
------------------------------------------
what I like about this article is the grave dissapointment it ascribes to Mac users that they won't be able to use Windows on their machines.

I Bent My Wookiee · Mar 10, 2006, 10:40 AM

Originally Posted by Salty

I don't think Apple wants to make Windows booting too tough, just tough enough that your mom won't want to do it.

Apple didn't tell MS NOT to make it compatible

Eug Wanker · Mar 10, 2006, 11:01 AM

Originally Posted by mduell

The real bomb isn't that Vista won't have EFI at launch, it's that there will never be EFI support in the 32-bit version.

Another reason to wait for that Merom 13" MacBook Pro and that Conroe iMac.

By that time, Photoshop and Office for Mac OS X Intel might actually be available too.

Perhaps Apple caught wind of this, and that's why they disabled the legacy compatibility mode on the Intel Macs?

Nah, they didn't implement it because there is no reason for Apple to implement it. From Apple's point of view, why bother?

I Bent My Wookiee · Mar 10, 2006, 11:33 AM

http://software.silicon.com/os/0,390...9157103,00.htm

The Godfather · Mar 10, 2006, 11:54 AM

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Extensi...ware_Interface

EFI support in Windows would mean no more "Mac Edition" video cards. All new hardware would be compatible for either platform... I wish.

mduell · Mar 10, 2006, 12:56 PM

Here's another take: Given that Apple is the only one mandating EFI with 32-bit chips, is it really any surprise that MS isn't supporting it?
EFI is already supported in all MS's 64-bit OSs (XP x64, 2003 x64, 2003 IA64) and will be support in Vista x64; is enabling and testing EFI support for 32-bit machines worth the effort for such a small slice of the market (Mac owners who want to boot Windows)? Microsoft says no.