Communications of the ACM
Change to 'bios' Will Make For Pcs That Boot in Seconds
The Unified Extensible Firmware Interface (UEFI) is set to replace BIOS as the dominant PC startup software and could allow computers to start in just seconds. The UEFI Forum, which is overseeing the technology's development, says UEFI will replace BIOS in most PCs by 2011.
"Conventional BIOS is up there with some of the physical pieces of the chip set that have been kicking around the PC since 1979," says UEFI Forum's Mark Doran. "It was never really designed to be extensible over time."
AMI's Brian Richardson says that BIOS' age was hampering the development of 64-bit computing. "Drive size limits that were inherent to the original PC design—two terabytes—are going to become an issue pretty soon for those that use their PC a lot for pictures and video," Richardson says. He also says that UEFI will boost the development of PC control systems for tablet computers and other portable devices. For example, Doran says UEFI will make it easier for devices to produce keyboard-type information. "The extensible part of the name is important because we are going to have to live with this for a long time," he notes.
From BBC News
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