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Linux kernel is GPLv2, not GPLv3. GPLv3 has specific clauses restricting secure boot implementations. By taking the code, signing it and distributing it Microsoft would be constrained by the GPLv3 license. This is GPLv3 working by design. It's designed to forbid doing this.
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Linux kernel is capable of acting as an EFI application and can be booted directly. The use case for a shim is just that you have to deal with this additional party unlike a typical secure boot implement where the vendor making the OS controls the key such as with Android phones.
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A typical secure boot implementation doesn't work this way. There's usually simply a hard-wired key for the vendor and sometimes support for using a custom key such as with Pixel phones. You don't have to get Google to sign anything to use full secure boot with any OS on a Pixel.
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Also... unlike this incredibly weak implementation of it used on x86 UEFI desktops, typical implementations verify the entirety of firmware and the OS. There's usually no additional bootloader between the late stage bootloader (usually UEFI now) and the kernel either.
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