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mjg59 · 2026-10-28T05:59:03.000Z

> doesn't really provide a hardware abstraction layer like BIOS does

I'm not really sure what this means. UEFI provides a consistent interface to access storage devices, network devices, input devices, and access to a framebuffer. How else would bootloaders work?

hn_submit · 2026-10-28T11:39:27.000Z

Hint: they use BIOS, which is still present on all modern PCs. Even if UEFI provides something similar it's way too fat.

And why do I need mouse and network? Just so the BIOS firmware can show me a graphical interface and connect directly to the internet?

blueflow · 2026-10-28T11:50:05.000Z

bro you responding to Matthew Garret. I don't want to defend either of you two but you set the bar pretty low.

RobotToaster · 2026-10-28T15:58:08.000Z

Apparently that's someone mildly important, for anyone else who's never heard of him https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Matthew_Garrett

cowlevel · 2026-10-28T19:28:05.000Z

I always recognise him but all I know him for is for being someone who techrights (Roy Schestowitz) is/was irrationally mad at. Good to see he won his harassment lawsuit.

kasabali · 2026-10-28T20:08:02.000Z

https://www.logicallyfallacious.com/logicalfallacies/Appeal-...

mjg59 · 2026-10-28T15:33:07.000Z

No, no modern OS uses any BIOS calls on UEFI systems, and CSMs are disabled by default on any system sold with secure boot enabled (ie, everything sold with Windows pre-installed)

mjg59 · 2026-10-28T18:09:40.000Z

Oh, sorry, I didn't answer the other part of your comment. Network is required so you can boot from the network, which is commonly used for reimaging systems (not just servers, it's often done for laptops in enterprise environments). Non-keyboard input is a necessity for any devices that don't have a keyboard, but mouse input is also just what users expect these days.