Intel to open code for booting up PCs, servers

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Don't be naive

No modern OS uses BIOS these days. BIOS is used only for reading code from boot sectors and perhaps to test memory and some IO peripherials. After that it goes dead as kernels of OS'es use their own methods.

The same will have to be done with new code that is non-BIOS "drivers". They will have to initialize peripherials and test memory. There will be differences (and probably limited by motherboard manufacturers) how it is done by OS'es.

Anybody who actually wrote some low level software using BIOS functions and direct hardware driving methods knows that.

Whatever you call it: "hardware driver" or BIOS it does not mean anything as writing some sort of Basic Input-Output System (or BIOS) as the low level function to be performed. It is just shift from onboard solution that is located in FLASH/ROM/PROM/EPROM/EEPROM... to OS driver/kernel bootstrap code. Nobody is going to escape from layering paradigm... although some may mess it really well (let's see outcome that is already known to academics).

Posted by: FirstNLastN   Posted on: 06/01/04 You are currently: a Guest | Members login | Terms of Use

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