"I see EFI as a go-between. It’s not really meant to totally replace the Bios, just replace the functions that have been crammed into the Bios over time. So the Bios can revert to its original job of turning the computer on, running POST, and then feeding the higher level program (EFI) layer. This layer takes all the add-in cards, Bluetooth keyboards - which will never work in Bios - and third-party LAN, audio chips, and initialises them through firmware."
Change the language
How quickly, then, will UEFI roll out across the MSI range of motherboards?
"Every board that we want to support UEFI takes a lot of work, so on-board components - like IDE mode for UEFI driver AHCI+IDE, RAID+IDE Mode control - needs setup and some firmware from vendors. So it's incredibly difficult at the time being to roll it out over our whole range.
"I heard we are starting to just kick-off now an EFI Bios for our X58 boards, but of course the priority at this time is for 'legacy Bios update' because it's what we get reviewed and criticised on, and will directly affect our sales figures. EFI also takes up much more space than Bios, so it increases our costs to implement at board level."
System status
UEFI has arrived for the PC and we can finally use a mouse to change settings before you boot into the OS. We don’t expect to see the end of the legacy Bios any time soon, and because of the long-standing usage of the term, we can expect EFI-based interfaces to be branded as 'Bios' any way. Only its mouse friendliness will give the game away.
MSI mobo ditches Bios for EFI
COMMENTS
@Leo Waldock
Wow... this is the first article on any Register site I've started but could not finish. By page 2 I had to quit reading and ask what you problem with command line interfaces are? Did a keyboard beat you up when you were younger? Did a tab key kill your dog?
The hatred that you showed for the traditional BIOS interface, keyboard input and not capitalizing BIOS (it is an initialism you know?) makes me wonder if you have enough years under your belt to speak on this kind of topic.
efiGL, efiIPv6, efiMobileIP, efiGPS
with support for pixel/vertex/whatever else shaders, with Clippy The EFI Assistant, with JavaEFI(TM) edition for 3rd party applets support, with EFI indexing service ("The one that is supposed to make finding [options in EFI BIOS] quicker, that is controlled by interaction with a cartoon dog that you thought you had turned off") and embedded audio/video player with DRM support for even richier, nicier, beefier luser sexperience...
Graphical system setup?
Hmm... OK, I'll admit that some of it was CLI (I.E. the *configure command), but not all of it. The system - the Acorn Archimedes.
Pulling the computer out of the 1980's indeed! Heh!
Killing independent mobo-manufacturers
"Bios and in comes UEFI (Unified Extensible Firmware Interface) in its place."
Which just "happens" to be riddled with Intel & MS patents. How about killing competition in yet another sector?
It's totally irrelevant what's UEFI is at technical level, it's important who defines it (at will): Intel/MS. Easy way to kill indepedent mobo-manufacturers: You don't sell licence to them or ask a ridiculous price.
Yet another trick from dirty tricks department and most of the commenters buy it at face value. That's sad, tactics should be very easily seen with half brain.
It's all about money
"EFI’s major benefit is within its programming structure"
No, it's major benefit is money. For Intel, of course. I fail to see what are the benefits for MSI, unless Intel pays them to act as a sock puppet in this matter ... like some nice deep discount for bridge circuits, to a loyal customer, eh?
