[coreboot] coreboot and embedded controllers, for example OLPC and its OpenEC code

[Jordan Crouse]

On 19/06/08 15:55 -0500, bari wrote:
> Jordan Crouse wrote:
> > On 19/06/08 15:23 -0500, Ken.Fuchs at bench.com wrote:
> >   
> >> coreboot needs to have a solution/framework/interface for dealing
> >> with embedded controllers.  The trend seems to be that mainboards
> >> will have more of these as time goes by.  For existing boards,
> >> coreboot may be able to load the existing embedded controller
> >> code, but for new designs with coreboot firmware, the embedded
> >> controller code will have to written from scratch and obviously
> >> will require a toolchain and debugging tools.
> >>     
> >
> > When done right, the embedded controller will be transparent to
> > coreboot.  If you need a solution / framework / interface
> > for dealing with custom embedded controller code, then the
> > openEC project isn't doing a very good job.
> >   
> Exactly!
> 
> What is the ultimate dream here? To develop replacement open firmware 
> for existing embedded controllers
> that have been used for years mainly in laptops and servers?
> 
> To develop open firmware for embedded controllers that oem's and odm's 
> will use in new designs in the future?
> 
> I understand why someone that enjoys tinkering with laptops and servers 
> might like this. I'm not sure that the odm's and oem's will be 
> interested in an open solution unless it is very stable and very well 
> supported.

If you do s/embedded controller/BIOS/ in the paragraphs, the argument
remains exactly the same. Lets face it, coreboot and an embedded
controller project are birds of a feather.  What I'm saying is that
in an ideal world, they can both exist without being aware of each other.

Jordan

-- 
Jordan Crouse
Systems Software Development Engineer 
Advanced Micro Devices, Inc.