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In-Depth Look At LinuxBIOS

Posted by timothy on from the quickly-quickly dept.

DrSkwid writes "With PhoenixBIOS reading your email because of such inordinate boot up times for Windows and other OSs, it was remarked in #plan9 about our 5s boot times using LinuxBIOS. My friend f2f pasted an article from Linux Journal which looks at the basic structure of LinuxBIOS, the origins of LinuxBIOS and how it evolved to its current state. It also covers the platforms supported and the lessons they have learned about trying to marry a GPL project to some of the lowest-level, most heavily guarded secrets that vendors possess."

15 of 284 comments (clear)

  1. Obligatory by slash-tard · · Score: 3, Funny

    Does it run linux?

    1. Re:Obligatory by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0, Funny

      Only if you pay SCO a fee!

    2. Re:Obligatory by Brian+Dennehy · · Score: 4, Funny

      Only in Soviet Russia. (Think about it.)

    3. Re:Obligatory by TedCheshireAcad · · Score: 2, Funny

      Imagine a Beowulf....

      oh...wait....

    4. Re:Obligatory by neko9 · · Score: 3, Funny

      in this case "But Does It Run Windows?" would be more apropriate :-)

  2. Re:On the bright side by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 3, Funny

    And if I ran windows I might be able to appreciate it from the daily bounces...

  3. Woops! by Sarojin · · Score: 3, Funny

    I just installed Windows and it overwrote my BIOS!

    --
    HOW'S MY POSTING? CALL 1-800-POSTING
  4. Heres a picture by sinkywinky · · Score: 5, Funny
    It sounds like a good idea but how does it work in practice? How about pictures?

    Heres a picture of linuxbios:
    0001001010001000000100101001001000100100100100101
    0010101001001000100100000100100101000100100100100
    1001000100100100010000001001000100010000100110010
    0101001001000100100100100101100100010000001010101
    1000100100000100100000100101010010010010001001001
  5. plug n play smp's by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 3, Funny

    I read the paper. Can't say I fully understand it all, but seems like this BIOS could lead to a form of personal computer that would be easily expandable as to adding processors. It was designed for clusters, yes,? Well... why not an upgradeable box that had slots that entire additional CPUs and & etc. built onto small cards would fit in? Just like adding more RAM when you need it/want it? Just was reading here the other day about the new nanoboards. Seems like a natural somehow...

    zogger

  6. A BIOS is for weens! by chris_sawtell · · Score: 4, Funny

    Real men load the boot loader using 16 switches and a press-button.

    1. Re:A BIOS is for weens! by whoever57 · · Score: 2, Funny
      Yes, and when you can remember the sequence without notes at 11:00pm (or later) Saturday night (because that's the only time you can get on the machine that week) then you are a real real man.

      Been there, done that, glad I don't have to any more!

      --
      The real "Libtards" are the Libertarians!
    2. Re:A BIOS is for weens! by FFFish · · Score: 3, Funny

      Oh, when I was a child we used to dream of having sixteen switches.

      No, we had to make do with a Velveeta box, an old Q-tip, and one of mom's buttons!

      --

      --
      Don't like it? Respond with words, not karma.
  7. Re:boot time of no benefit? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 2, Funny

    >>if it increased boot time significantly...
    Microsoft could sue for prior art.

    What? You meant to write "decreased?" Nevermind. ;)

  8. Re:Christopher Lowell by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1, Funny

    Ok. I've fixed it for you:

    Google Goes with Christopher Lowell

    Yes I have no life. (i animated the gif, but since i don't know what the F i'm doing, it seems to work sometimes....sometimes not)

  9. Re:Already tried...? by scdeimos · · Score: 2, Funny

    Not only that, but because of code bloat you'd be required to upgrade your motherboard to increase the capacity of your flash ROMs every twelve months.

    Lest we foregt that some MS OS service packs have been larger than the original OS. :)