Which Distros Work on New Windows 8 Machines

Which distribution can I download and install that will just work out of the box on my new certified Windows 8 machine? That's a question many Linux users, new and otherwise, are probably asking themselves about now. Thank goodness Matthew Garrett stepped up to the plate with a post to let us know.

In a post titled, "Secure Boot distribution support," Garrett states that he's been getting that question a whole lot lately. So he listed several that should install "without fiddling with firmware settings."

These include:

* Ubuntu 12.10: The 64-bit version of Ubuntu 12.10 ships with an older version of Shim that's been signed by Microsoft. It should boot out of the box on most systems.

* Fedora 18: Fedora 18 isn't quite released yet, but the latest 64-bit test builds include a Microsoft signed copy of the current version of Shim, including the MOK functionality.

* Sabayon: According to the wiki, Sabayon now supports UEFI Secure Boot out of the box.

Garrett discusses some other distro's plans and The Linux Foundation loader as well as provides links to code and information. But there ya' go right there, three very different distributions to choose from for very different type of Linux user.

Or do what I would do and go into the BIOS and turn that sucker off. In fact, Garrett posted another tidbit today offering a solution for those that find "their firmware won't let them choose a boot device." See that post here.