and Microsoft, which
> will forbid its customers from "unlocking" the proprietary formats it
> uses to extract tribute from third-party software vendors such as > Mozilla.
I think Microsoft has something like this in place. I think they've convinced hardware manufacturers to include a "secure boot" in the BIOS so the system will not boot anything without a Microsoft issued key. As I recall, Microsoft is selling these keys to other OS suppliers (such as Linux). I DO see a security benefit here in that it may help prevent virus transmission through accidentally booting from USB flash drives. But, it DOES make people dependent on MS.
Harold