How often do you check for BIOS upgrades for your laptop / desktop?
@phessler Dell provides what they call "BIOS executable files" (really Windows "universal" binaries or something). Since the program can be run from the BIOS, I just put it on a USB key and let the BIOS mount it and run it.
It's probably over complicated and buggy, but it's simple for both Windows and non-Windows customers, I guess.
@phessler MultiSystem is another handy script for making usb keys with several iso distros http://liveusb.info/dotclear/
@ParadeGrotesque
@gemlog @phessler @ParadeGrotesque This looks interesting, thank you.
I usually end up using YUMI (https://www.pendrivelinux.com/), which is a standalone Windows app that works pretty well under WINE, but I find that it still has some reliability issues. I will have to see what MultiSystem can do.
@xenotrope
It's pretty cool. You can have a boot menu where you choose between any of several distros and you can also include some persistence selectively, if you want.
If the key is small enough and I won't waste too much, I sometimes just use dd if=some.iso too.
@gemlog @phessler @ParadeGrotesque I was hoping this was a script that could be run; it seems like MultiSystem is a tool that's part of a live CD distro which must be booted into into to access a GUI. Sub-optimal, but I'll try almost anything once.
YUMI supports persistence in certain circumstances, too. You could set-up an Ubuntu live CD ISO, for example, and then reserve a portion of the USB stick for preserving files between reboots.
@xenotrope
It really is just a bunch of bash scripts that call gdialog as a gui.
I install it under linux using the available package manager for w/e distro I'm on at the time. You don't need a special install of an entire distro.
I'm sorry I don't really know much about bsd - I've only installed it a few times, but never lived with it.
@phessler @ParadeGrotesque
@phessler Only when utterly compelled to do.
BIOS upgrades can cost me a few hours, when they reset defaults and I have to wander through new menu options to find a new toggle that changed system behavior. 
@mwlucas on thinkpads the bios updates tend to be fairly sensible and don't reset too much :)
@cynicalsecurity @phessler Basically, experience has taught us that BIOS upgrades should be avoided if at all possible.
@cynicalsecurity @phessler Yep. Totally untrustworthy.
@phessler
Just check, right? Not actually update?
I also missed the choice of "occasionally", but I guess "when reminded" is the same thing.
@omni I intended to ask "check", but I guess quite a few poll respondents will also think "update".
@phessler
only when installing new os
@phessler There isn't an option for what I do, I update it when necessary, in other words, when something affects my machine usecase.
@phessler ✅ whenever shit breaks randomly
@phessler @packetcat BIOS can get upgrades??
@vy @packetcat yes! Many vendors do make them for a couple months, possibly years. Lenovo ThinkPad gets them for 2 years or so
@phessler for clarification: I had an occurrence last year where the system clock on my desktop would just stop. time would literally stand still while the computer was running.
I didn't make any changes before it happened and I was running out of ideas so I upgraded the firmware and it actually started working again.
@phessler when I buy it
@phessler Daily. My OS does this for me. https://fwupd.org/
@phessler monthly. i was to lazy to remove the dell pc assist ¯\_(ツ)_/¯
@phessler
Never is greater 41% than Only when reminded.
@phessler Well, thanks for that, it prompted me to review my BIOS update strategy :-) Blog post 1/3 on the topic now online. https://blog.wirelessmoves.com/2020/01/linux-bios-updates-made-easier-part-1.html
Does your vendor only ship ISOs with the update, and you don't have a cd writer? On #OpenBSD I use the geteltorito utility.
geteltorito [iso-file] > [file].fs
then you can write that image to a usb stick to boot from!
geteltorito is a perl script, so it should be portable to many OSes, including yours :)