Basically, the BIOS in a modern computer is a hardware configurator and boot loader. Personally, I think that that's fine. I'm not looking for a BIOS to do anything more.
Agreed.
In fact, if memory serves me (me who is too lazy at the moment to grep), there is somewhere in the Linux kernel source that proclaims something like, "BIOS? We don't need no stinkin' BIOS!"
Though modern BIOSes *can* perform IRQ, I/O, and DMA steering, even this is oft disabled for all but the peripherals needed to boot via "PnP Operating System Installed".
On a side note... Today I was intrigued by a customer's system. I don't know the motherboard model, and I hath not the BIOS string at hand, but let me go from memory:
- AcerAcros - 430FX/PCI/ISA - 486 Socket3
Via the BIOS, one could not only manually steer PCI IRQs (with display of IRQA, IRQB, IRQC, and IRQD) and DMA channels, but this is the only BIOS I can recall seeing that allowed manual *I/O port* reservation.
Back to an earlier thread: What development model are we following?
IMHO, I think that the "BIOS" proper should be the bare minimum. All other functionality, even some "standard" BIOS functions such as ACPI, could be implemented as modules -- even as option ROMs. Since we'll need option ROM loader code, anyway, why not reuse it for the "roll-your-own" modules?
Eddy
*-----------------------------_/~~_/----------------------------------* Edward Brotsman Dreger "Your Success is Our Success Network & Systems Manager Our Expertise is Your Advantage" Brian's Consulting Services /~__/~\ www.brics.com * 316-794-8922 _________________________________________________________________________ SPAMbot bait: abuse@localhost postmaster@localhost blacklist@brics.com
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