[bergstromm466]

> indicates that you haven't read much about Intel ME :/

I wrote in my comment:

> I already know a little about Intel ME and proprietary silicon

So yes this is true, I know only 'a little'. I have only understood that it is a small proprietary OS running underneath the user's OS. I guess from your comment I learned now that this means it is something you can only get at with a diagnostic tool, and it is outside the control of the user's operating system.

Yes I do not have a CS degree, and I am not a classically trained SWE. Instead I am a self-taught web app developer, with mainly skills in web apps, and not much knowledge yet around OS'es and computing hardware. Yet I am curious to go deeper into Intel ME, since it's existence and the consequences of that do affect me (since I have an intel chip in my computer), hence my questions.

You write:

> The mere fact that

This sounds like you're not wiling to step into a teaching role or share your insights. Do you think it is beneath you to answer questions? It sounds like you want to shame me for my technical incompetence in this area. Is this accurate? If yes, I would like to request that you please not reply to my posts, unless you answer my question authentically and with basic respect/kindness.

I wish HN was friendlier to beginners, or people willing to ask 'stupid' or 'naive' questions and who have a beginners mindset.

[cesarb]

> I have only understood that it is a small proprietary OS running underneath the user's OS.

It's not running underneath the user's OS. Both Intel ME and AMD's equivalent run on on a completely separate processor; think of it as a small CPU hidden next to the main CPU. This means that, for instance, "increased CPU usage" will not happen.

[bergstromm466]

> a completely separate processor; think of it as a small CPU hidden next to the main CPU

Damn that seems a sneaky strategy by Intel, especially since they retain the master key. So are all these big chipset manufacturers selling chips with this massive backdoor that not many people know about? Scary stuff.

Thank you for sharing this! If you know of any beginner-friendly sources on this, I'd be grateful to see those.

Do non-US based chipmakers like Samsung have a similar systems in their chips?

[crististm]

Usually, snark remarks like "really?" mean that all venues for learning are excluded. Why would someone step in to teach in this case?

[bergstromm466]

> Usually, snark remarks like "really?" mean that all venues for learning are excluded. Why would someone step in to teach in this case?

Text does not translate intention well... It was a 'really?' filled with curiosity, and an eagerness to try to understand what the original poster was basing his statements on (that the NSA and others can all use this backdoor). I feel that there is within me an eagerness to learn more. It was not meant as a snarky comment at all. Thanks for telling me how my comment came across to you! (not snarky again.)