Gilbert Baron wrote:
>
> >
> >I think you will find that with Linux, the BIOS only handles the drive
> >until the relevant parts of the kernel have loaded. After that, Linux
> >handles the job itself.
> >
>
> This would be stupid in my opinion. There are too many drives. It is like no
> drivers would be written and it will all be in the Kernel..
> It is The BIOS that makes an API that is constant and that is the way I am
> sure it is done.
>
You are absolutely wrong, and the person you are replying to,
was right. For one thing, the BIOS is __NOT__ a "constant" API:
I have personally been using Linux back in 1992, when most BIOSes
(including mine at the time) were only 16-bit code. Such 32-bit
code as was already in Windows at the time (and all of Linux)
did __NOT__ use the BIOS at all ... (while Linux already had
32 bit drivers for video, hard disk, cd-rom and whatever,
at the time __MOST__ of windows was still 16-bit code).
Since that time, most BIOSes have evolved with 32-bit "extensions",
which Linux uses only for __information__ (e.g. for determination
of the correct geometry and linear I/O addresses for video).
But most (all ?) Linux drivers (and modern Windows drivers too)
don't use the BIOS after initialization.
--
Jean-Louis Debert [EMAIL PROTECTED]
74 Annemasse France
old Linux fan
