[U-Boot] [PATCH v2 3/3] image: Allow images to indicate they're loadable at any address

Wolfgang Denk
2011-11-07T22:42:33Z

Dear Nicolas,

In message <alpine.LFD.2.02.1111071633330.3307@xanadu.home> you wrote:
>
> So yes, this is a simplistic solution, but it is damn good, and it
> solves the u-Boot restrictions we've been complaining about for at least
> two years now.

Could you please explain which of these restrictions cannot be solved
by using the IH_TYPE_*_REL approach?

I just explained (see
http://thread.gmane.org/gmane.comp.boot-loaders.u-boot/115774/focus=115881)
why I consider this a better approch than Stephen's new patches.

There are other reasons why we do want to have support for uImage
format. Just one example: the length information in the image header
comes in very handy when you go for very fast booting systems - here
the U-Boot SPL code can load and start Linux directly, bypassing all
the normale U-Boot loading and initialization. And you can boot the
very same image normally as well. With zImage, you would again have
to provide additional information, probably be defining yet another
header format. OK, such super-fast booting systems are only a tiny
fraction of the systems in the field, but...

> Therefore, can this patch be merged now? I've provided my ACK for it
> already.

And I NAKed it already. Twice, actually.

I am still willing to reconsider this NAK, but I am asking for really
convincing arguments why the IH_TYPE_*_REL approach would be less
useful.

Thanks.

Wolfgang Denk

--
DENX Software Engineering GmbH, MD: Wolfgang Denk & Detlev Zundel
HRB 165235 Munich, Office: Kirchenstr.5, D-82194 Groebenzell, Germany
Phone: (+49)-8142-66989-10 Fax: (+49)-8142-66989-80 Email: wd at denx.de
Misquotation is, in fact, the pride and privilege of the learned. A
widely-read man never quotes accurately, for the rather obvious
reason that he has read too widely.
- Hesketh Pearson _Common Misquotations_ introduction