]
] Since that time, the situation has changed. Today the
] BIOS is no longer burned in ROM; it is stored in
] nonvolatile writable memory that users can rewrite. Today
] the BIOS sits square on the edge of the line. It comes
] prewritten in our computers, and normally we never
] install another. So far, that is just barely enough to
] excuse treating it as hardware. But once in a while the
] manufacturer suggests installing another BIOS, which is
] available only as an executable. This, clearly, is
] installing a non-free program--it is just as bad as
] installing Microsoft Windows, or Adobe Photoshop, or
] Sun's Java Platform. As the unethical practice of
] installing another BIOS executable becomes common, the
] version delivered inside the computer starts to raise an
] ethical problem issue as well.

FSF is starting to make a stink about BIOS now.

FSF - Campaign for Free BIOS