[LinuxBIOS] Names names.. [was: Linux vs. Open?]

[Ronald G. Minnich]

On Tue, 15 Mar 2005, Jonathan Morton wrote:

> If I understand right, the "bootstrap" section (presently called
> LinuxBIOS) is essentially a stripped-down Linux kernel with some rather
> more in-depth device initialisation capabilities.  Such a configuration
> does make sense, and would allow very flexible boot device support.

such was the plan. 

But the small flash size problem changed the plan

> If this is true, then as a kernel it *does* have callbacks, and can
> justifiably be termed a BIOS in the strict sense of the word, even if it
> doesn't provide the legacy "IBM compatible" calls to run M$-DOS
> directly. Thus the name "LinuxBIOS" should probably stick.

yeah. I still think long term I want linux in there. The Intel EFI guys 
beat up on me a lot about this -- "LinuxBIOS has no API". 

My response was, "of course it does -- it's called the linux system call 
layer". 

But it's harder to make that case when there's no linux in there ...

> Eventually, even Intel will have to admit it's time to ditch the old,
> frequently buggy and restrictive AMI and Award BIOS structures.  
> Goodness, BIOSes of both kinds have caused havoc when faced with a HD
> slightly larger than was expected at the time of manufacture, multiple
> times in recent history.  The onus has largely been on the HD
> manufacturers to work around the BIOS bugs.  That's just wrong.

Intel has admitted that, long ago; it's just that their solution is 
utterly proprietary, which runs against the grain. At least my grain.

ron