Stefan Bambach <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> writes: [snip]
> I think that the INT functions from the normal BIOS code is the real > problem to port this kind a project for other OS. Older Windows are > based on DOS and that is based on BIOS INT functions. So here you have > a problem. But why not thinking of BSD, Solaris (Intel), BeOS or some > sort of Unix/Posix variant. They do not need the BIOS much. So the > BIOS startup time can be minimized. I don't know what the slow part is but I don't think it is the INT calls. But since we don't support then concentrating on OS that don't heavily depend on the is probably a good idea. > I think it would be nice for every computer user to speed up the > complete process from power on to windows login, bash prompt, ... . > > Measuring time needed for complete process, it clear that the OS only > needs about half the time to load and the other half is the BIOS. > About double speed is much time you save. The one feature we haven't yet gotten a good implementation of is waiting for hard driver spinup (or telling the OS to wait for us). As far as I know that is the only thing that could put a real crimp in our boot time. > > What is the problem booting other OS ? No ports... There are no fundamental reasons LinuxBIOS can't support another OS. > The lack of BIOS INT functions ? Yes. > Do actual OS like W2000, XP, ... need them as DOS did ? Not nearly as much. But their boot process still relies on them. Eric
