Re: [RFC] general-usage real-mode loader

[Robert Millan <rmh@aybabtu.com>]

On Sun, Sep 07, 2008 at 02:22:57PM +0200, phcoder wrote:
> 4) DOS/Win9x and freedos. Especially the second one. They use extended
> chainloader functionality found in grub4dos. With rmkern loading freedos
> kernel should be really easy.

Since FreeDOS is free software, we could fix it to use Multiboot instead.

> 5) Loading winnt (ntldr) and winvista (bootmgr)

Ah, and there's a free replacement for NTLDR as well, see:

  http://www.reactos.org/wiki/index.php/FreeLoader

> 6) Many other different proprietary and free OS. I don't know enough
> about them to say that this or that one can benefit from it but suppose
> many OS can be booted easier and more reliable with this functionality.
> 7) rmkern command. Experienced users, hobbysts and OS-developpers can
> enter manually the state in which they want their kernel to be loaded.
> May be handy also for reverse engineering

I think people (specially OS developers) should contemplate obsoleting the
i8086 someday...

Some of the examples you give are things we should indeed support (most
specially the chainloader), but I'm not sure if it's worthy to spend so
much effort in extending them.  IMHO we should push for a sane standard
like Multiboot instead.

But I can't tell you what to do with your time, of course...

-- 
Robert Millan

  The DRM opt-in fallacy: "Your data belongs to us. We will decide when (and
  how) you may access your data; but nobody's threatening your freedom: we
  still allow you to remove your data and not access it at all."