Phoenix, which makes BIOS chips used to boot up PCs, has produced an extended version that can grab and protect space on the hard drive before the operating system boots. This Core Managed Environment (cME) can also run applications such as a virus checker, a web browser, a digital rights management system, or some other secure control program ... beyond the reach of the operating system. EE Times explains the basic technology, while AP provides the corporate background. Is this a useful "safety net" or just another way to introduce spyware? Slashdot is hosting a mild debate....
Comment: I wonder if some of the reports on cME would have been a bit less excitable if the writers had read (for example) the Cexx page on PhoenixNet. The Phoenix.Net BIOS chip could run applications before the operating system loaded -- sound familiar? Q. What are the benefits of becoming a PhoenixNet Partner? A. PhoenixNet Partners with a Partner ID can participate in upcoming incentive and co-marketing programs and can receive e-mail bulletins on the latest end-user tools as they are added. In other words, once PhoenixNet had done its work, you could be deluged with advertising spam and pop-ups, or worse. "These services are delivered to the user as hotlinks on the desktop and in the web browser or, as applications that PhoenixNet automatically packages, downloads and installs."
