On Mon, 5 Mar 2001, Ian C. Sison wrote:
>
> But doesn't linux require some basic bios functionality to work? Whatever
> the case, this can only make PCs more affordable, without the need to pay
> award or ami or phoenix for their bios.
>
No, it does not. In fact, most BIOSes are there only so that you can boot
DOS on your computer, and when you deal with nonstandard devices they
usually screw up the configuration so badly that they actually get in the
way rather than help.
In fact, the only BIOS that Linux would require nowadays is basically
APM, ISA-PnP, and VGA, and much of these are redundant and/or unnecessary
for many configurations.
The primary motivation for the Linux BIOS was to make configuration of the
large clusters that the Advanced Computing Laboratory at Los Alamos
National Laboratory easier to manage. Makes it a helluvalot easier to set
up diskless workstations and the like, as well as simplifying remote
configuration.
--
Rafael R. Sevilla <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> +63 (2) 4342217
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