Many computer manufacturers are now adding DRM to the BIOS of the computers that they make. For now, you can opt out of the DRM option, but that won't always be so, nor can you always go out and purchased a nonDRM machine as the older models age.

This DRM disallows certain files to be played/executed. It identifies files as 'belonging' to certain machines. And so on. The powerful Entertainment Industry is all over this like wasps on soda pop, but it has me concerned, what will it do to operating systems out side of Windows/Mac like Linux? DRM also has a long history of doing nasty things to files that aren't media like that Sony rootkit mess.

Yeah, DRM has a pretty bad reputation..and despite of what they try, I don't think BIOS DRM becomes the tyrant; at some point people get frustrated, and -- bad for the sellers -- if they don't buy it, the manufacturers can't make it.

There's a long list of "copy-protection" methods that have been invented, and this far each and every one of them has proven useless; the only thing they've done is made the life of those harder who actually don't try to break the copy protections. And that has lead to a lot (most?) of them being rejected, because people don't like buying audio discs that don't play on their legal players. I assume the same goes with DRM, but maybe in a longer run because it's hyped and developed so much.

Personally I'd rather buy food than a DRM-forced BIOS with a crappy computer around it.

Won't OpenBIOS and LinuxBIOS be able to help any in this case ?