[LinuxBIOS] GX eval board

[Richard Smith]

>
> Does it not make sense to port that code to compile with gas?
>
> What's that magic that keeps the dependency to some pre-civilization
> microsoft product?

You have to produce 16-bit output.  Both for assembly and the couple
of C files that are in there.  You could use NASM for the 16 bit
assembly but I'm not sure about the C. OpenWatcom still has a 16 bit C
compiler in thier offerings.  I pulled it down but I've not really
groked the license yet.

The ADLO code in V1 is mixed C/asm in 16-bit mode with NASM and gcc. 
I'm going to go back and take a look at how that was done.

> Without me knowing the code it feels a bit against the LinuxBIOS idea to
> ship binary stuff because noone can compile it.

I agree fully. It should be ported.  It will be a large project to
undertake since there is a pile of assembly code.

I also don't fully yet grok the inner workings of the VSA.  All you
who are in this deeper perhaps can comment.  Is there any hardware
reason that the VSA _has_ to be in 16-bit mode?  I know orginally it
had to be 16-bit for the BIOS callbacks, but we don't require all that
legacy stuff.

Can we port the necessary parts over to protected mode?

--
Richard A. Smith