This article doesn't really make it clear, but I suspect (hope) they are entirely replacing the old BIOS with Linux (see http://www.coreboot.org/ ), which means something far more important than merely having a micro-Linux available "instantly". It also means that the BIOS boot time is reduced dramatically. Going from zero to running a full OS (whether it's Windows or a full-blown Linux) will be faster...possibly shaving minutes off of the boot time (but usually only 30 seconds to a minute).
The closer to instant-on PCs become, the more likely people are to shut them off when they walk away, which is great for the environment. It's also great for HTPCs to allow them to be more like traditional DVD players and VCRs.
The micro-Linux is just a funny side effect of replacing the cranky old slow 2 stroke BIOS with a new jet engine. It's about damned time the BIOS gets an overhaul, and since Linux already has most of the device detection and setup that a motherboard needs (or can have it added with no more pain than the BIOS, which have code bases that are reportedly extremely difficult to work with) why not?
The article isn't very clear, however, so I can't be sure the old BIOS isn't lurking beneath the surface just waiting for a "full boot" to kick in.
I was also reading this hoping they were talking about coreboot (or LinuxBIOS as I knew it), but the entire pitch was for a browser and skype in the bios. Am I the only one that doesn't want to flash my bios every time my browser has an update?
I could see it maybe making sense for true appliance PCs, but you make special mobos for those anyway... no need to stick a browser in every mobo you make.
There are lots of reasons that I'd like to see things like coreboot succeed, but having Firefox in my bios isn't one of them.
I'm not sure I'm convinced of this, in the case of Asus (or Gigabyte or Intel, who have sponsored some LinuxBIOS/Coreboot projects in the past). Asus, with their Eee PC, are striking out into delightfully new territory, and an instant on feature would be a pretty killer thing. Traditional BIOS makes that impossible, because it's so damned slow and changing it is, as you note, practically impossible.
But just because the BIOS software companies (who are, on the whole, separate from the motherboard manufactures) don't want to rewrite their software, it doesn't mean some motherboard manufacturer won't jump ship one day. In fact, I would argue that it's inevitable, if the BIOS manufacturers don't get their act together fast--people are beginning to expect a completely different experience from their devices. The iPhone and similar devices are training people that real computers can turn on instantly and be ready for work in seconds. No reason PCs can't be similarly fast to boot.
The closer to instant-on PCs become, the more likely people are to shut them off when they walk away, which is great for the environment. It's also great for HTPCs to allow them to be more like traditional DVD players and VCRs.
The micro-Linux is just a funny side effect of replacing the cranky old slow 2 stroke BIOS with a new jet engine. It's about damned time the BIOS gets an overhaul, and since Linux already has most of the device detection and setup that a motherboard needs (or can have it added with no more pain than the BIOS, which have code bases that are reportedly extremely difficult to work with) why not?
The article isn't very clear, however, so I can't be sure the old BIOS isn't lurking beneath the surface just waiting for a "full boot" to kick in.