What's all that for?

[Matthias Wächter]

On Wed, 3 Feb 1999 karl-erik.asbjornsen at thomson-csf.no wrote:

> > Well, the message is important (from my point of view), but I hope you
> > will receive it just once :-) 
> Got only one of this one! :)

Its becoming a desease to subscribe to Mailinglists and then create a loop
by forwarding any message to the subscribed address back to the list (!) 
:-(

Should be gone now, I think.

> A little off topic maybe, but have you seen the cool car MP3-player at
> http://www.empeg.com ? Looks cool!
> If you manage to make a working mp3-box, let me know, would be cool to build one
> myself!

Well, in short, take a look at http://www.mp3.com/hardware/ to view a lot
of hardware solutions for mp3. But I want to build one solution of my own
with the features _I_ need. Empeg is nice though not like I expect an mp3
player to be like.

> > Of course, this is a large project, and my ideas make it even larger :-). 
> > But, would f.e. Linux be that great if it would have just been a "better
> > DOS", say, an "OSS DOS"? OK, it would be for free, but what for? 

> And we even have FreeDOS! I think we just need a start, and maybe there
> could be configurable if you want a clean 32bit bios, or you want a
> bios16-compatible binary. I think that is the big issue here, as I have
> said before:
>                          Make it configurable!

Of course, why not, anything is configurable. But keep development and
compatibility in mind. I mean, to program (and use) a BIOS16, compatible
to the stone-aged API in every PC, is a totally other task than to create
a BIOS32 with support for a totally new API, new hardware, a new boot
process, new boot loaders etc.

See, what I mean? Either FreeDOS to have a free DOS or Linux to have a
better operating system. I think we should start the second approach, make
a BIOS32 with a new API. Not having to try to be compatible to the old
BIOS16 stuff and to have to implement any workaround _they_ implemented
long ago.

> I mentioned this possibility in a mail a while ago. The problem is where
> should we store this old original bios where it can't be accidentally
> deleted? I like this idea, and use (2) for loading linux and other OSS
> oses, and as you say, maybe we could get M$ to help us make win
> 2k/9x/NT-loaders later. 

I think, it's not the point whether it can be erased somehow, by a virus
or such. I think, if BIOS16 loading can be performed by BIOS32, it is the
same problem as having your boot sector destroyed.

If you want to climb up a hill, you _first_ buy special material, cables,
helmets, etc. While programming BIOS32, we should, of course, implement a
back door for the BIOS16 to boot not only from hard disk (as from any
other media supported by BIOS32, remote boot etc.), but also to boot from
floppy disk (as you suggest later). Well, then the problem of losing the
BIOS16 is the same as losing the boot sector of your OS now: Boot from a
floppy (or CD-ROM) containing the BIOS16 and fix your problems!

> This is things that are new. Would be cool with a totally remote controllable
> machine with no display adapter/keyboard at all.

Of course, to have it 100%, the OS has to be willing to play our game,
too. But the idea of using all modern hardware, as it is intended, ALREADY
AT PRE-BOOT TIME would offer a lot of new visions one can not imagine
today. Think of the remote boot process today: One needs an additional
BIOS usually plugged into your network adapter (if that one has a socket
for it), and the protocol used is, frankly, prehistoric. NetBEUI (RPL) or
BOOTP, typically without authentication, compression or encryption etc.
are the answers to the demand of centralized administration. The door is
open for anyone in the net (assuming a non-switched network) to install a
RPL or BOOTP (DHCP) server faking anything the client would need to look
as usual.

> Fast boot up is something I would really like. Just turn on the PC, and it's
> there! :)

Yes, but it's a "long and winding road" there.

> One thing I would like is a possibility to load bios images from floppy. That
> would be a nice way to test the image before flashing it and leave the box
> unusable... Would be really nice during development.

See above. A main topic should be the ability to boot BIOS32 from BIOS16
and vice versa. The first for development and for the hardcord folks with
a BIOS16 not being able to be booted from BIOS32. The second is for the
time when BIOS32 is the better and BIOS16 is only used for booting all
those 16bit OSes (DOS, Win9x) sporadically (to demonstrate how it _was_
somewhen or how it not should become any more :-)).

Winschdawos,
- Matthias

-- 
Der Wein mit der Pille ist in dem Becher mit dem Fächer.
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