Path: utzoo!utgpu!jarvis.csri.toronto.edu!rutgers!usc!wuarchive!texbell!merch!cpe!techsup!trsvax!uhclem
From: uhclem@trsvax.UUCP
Newsgroups: comp.unix.xenix
Subject: Re: Does Xenix use the BIOS for anythin
Message-ID: <286100005@trsvax>
Date: 8 Mar 90 20:30:00 GMT
References: <115@melpar.UUCP>
Lines: 19
Nf-ID: #R:melpar.UUCP:115:trsvax:286100005:000:720
Nf-From: trsvax.UUCP!uhclem    Mar  8 14:30:00 1990


<>
R1>BIOS is non-reentrant therefore it is impossible for a multitasking
R1>system to trust it. Therefore you are right and your boss knows nothing.

BIOS also assumes you are not in protected mode.  Protected mode programs
can't use segment registers as scratch registers and other stunts that are
done all the time in the BIOS.  That is why OS/2 keeps having to take
the CPU out of protected mode so it can use the BIOS drivers.
Can you say inefficient?

<My opinion, and not that of my employer who prefers larger and slower
 software to justify bigger and faster systems...>

						
					"Thank you, Uh Clem."
					Frank Durda IV @ <trsvax!uhclem>
				...decvax!microsoft!trsvax!uhclem
				...hal6000!trsvax!uhclem