Relay-Version: version B 2.10 5/3/83; site utzoo.UUCP
Path: utzoo!utgpu!water!watnot!watmath!clyde!cuae2!ihnp4!ptsfa!lll-lcc!seismo!brl-adm!rutgers!cbmvax!grr
From: grr@cbmvax.UUCP
Newsgroups: comp.os.minix
Subject: Re: use of bios routines in the minix kernal, why not?
Message-ID: <1405@cbmvax.cbmvax.cbm.UUCP>
Date: Fri, 13-Feb-87 03:23:40 EST
Article-I.D.: cbmvax.1405
Posted: Fri Feb 13 03:23:40 1987
Date-Received: Sat, 14-Feb-87 14:06:45 EST
References: <172@axis.UUCP> <1192@husc6.UUCP> <431@percival.UUCP> <1216@husc6.UUCP>
Reply-To: grr@cbmvax.UUCP (George Robbins)
Distribution: world
Organization: Commodore Technology, West Chester, PA
Lines: 27
Keywords: interupt poll

In article <1216@husc6.UUCP> ddl@husc6.UUCP (Dan Lanciani) writes:
>In article <431@percival.UUCP>, nerd@percival.UUCP (Michael Galassi) writes:

COME ON PEOPLE - can't we agree that Andy considered this issue and decided
that in his judgment that using the BIOS was contrary to his overall intent!

Anybody who has been up to his hips in the BIOS muck can tell you interesting
things that can be done, and relate various pitfalls and problems encountred
by trying these.

The problem is that using the BIOS and various work arounds to make it
completly interrupt driven actually obscures the simplicity of using the
standard PC hardware.  While using the standard BIOS calls would increase
portability, trying to go beyond the basics opens the door for all kinds
of low-level BIOS incompatiblities that cause other portability problems!

It might be useful and fun for someone to make a version of Minix that does
use standard BIOS call exclusivly.  While crippled, this would be a good
tool for starting a port to an alien PC implementation.

BTW, as far as multi-user, interrupt driven concerns - have you ever noticed
how the interrupt driven keyboard driver implements control/num-lock to
"stop scrolling" - true elegance 8-)
-- 
George Robbins - now working for,	uucp: {ihnp4|seismo|rutgers}!cbmvax!grr
but no way officially representing	arpa: cbmvax!grr@seismo.css.GOV
Commodore, Engineering Department	fone: 215-431-9255 (only by moonlite)