I read that to the letter. I also added what I know about trusted execution. I see nothing keeping me from running Linux on such a chip if Intel intended it for Windows. It is, therefore, not "completely bogus".

The chip allows for a secure key storage in a way that the key never needs to be decrypted in-memory, the age old weakness of everything. What it does is store the keys for you.

In later implementations, it allows for separation of memory and registers per-core so that a process can't access another process' memory.

Thus far, I note the following:

a) It's an optional feature, allowing for better security

b) It prevents nobody from running nothing. It helps people run sensitive code without interference.

c) While it has its uses in DRM, such as allowing a player to decrypt data without someone stealing the keys or modifying the runtime, replacing a JNZ with a JZ, it does not disallow decrypting off-chip because the CPU knows not what you run.

d) I'll not even discuss DRM. It has been tried before a million times and it failed a million times. Intel is simply collecting on Hollywood and their wet dreams in the process of improving a platform.

e) The number of people running Linux, "modified" Windows, live systems, etc is huge. Even people with bought licenses need to run a live now and then. Microsoft patches stolen OSs. They know they're stolen and the leave it at that, because of several resons. You can't lock them out lest you enrage the whole lot of them. Or do you expect Joe Average to still buy your laptop knowing he can't run "THAT"? AMD would love to hear that. The maker offering an open system will be the preferred vendor.

I don't expect this technology to hinder anything major. And it definitely has no bearing on my OS of choice.

Also, I point out at this moment that a whole shovel of OS runners and precisely those who DO buy OSs are corporate users. And corporate users will NOT allow complex procedures on thousands of units. That's why a corporate disk has no serial number.

You don't lock these people out.

Overall, not worried in the slightest. I don't even expect to see a laptop or a laptop-smartphone hybrid that disallows an OS (save for lack of drivers). And if it does lock one out, by whatever reason, it won't be anything MS put out.