Return-Path: Received: (majordomo@vger.kernel.org) by vger.kernel.org via listexpand id S1030300AbVLGA5M (ORCPT ); Tue, 6 Dec 2005 19:57:12 -0500 Received: (majordomo@vger.kernel.org) by vger.kernel.org id S964974AbVLGA5M (ORCPT ); Tue, 6 Dec 2005 19:57:12 -0500 Received: from baythorne.infradead.org ([81.187.2.161]:675 "EHLO baythorne.infradead.org") by vger.kernel.org with ESMTP id S964852AbVLGA5M (ORCPT ); Tue, 6 Dec 2005 19:57:12 -0500 Subject: Re: Linux in a binary world... a doomsday scenario From: David Woodhouse To: Andrew Grover Cc: Alan Cox , Brian Gerst , Andrea Arcangeli , William Lee Irwin III , Arjan van de Ven , linux-kernel@vger.kernel.org In-Reply-To: References: <1133779953.9356.9.camel@laptopd505.fenrus.org> <20051205121851.GC2838@holomorphy.com> <20051206011844.GO28539@opteron.random> <43944F42.2070207@didntduck.org> <20051206030828.GA823@opteron.random> <4394696B.6060008@didntduck.org> <1133894575.4136.171.camel@baythorne.infradead.org> <1133897035.23610.32.camel@localhost.localdomain> <1133907922.4136.218.camel@baythorne.infradead.org> Content-Type: text/plain Date: Wed, 07 Dec 2005 00:56:54 +0000 Message-Id: <1133917014.4136.244.camel@baythorne.infradead.org> Mime-Version: 1.0 X-Mailer: Evolution 2.2.3 (2.2.3-2.fc4) Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit X-SRS-Rewrite: SMTP reverse-path rewritten from by baythorne.infradead.org See http://www.infradead.org/rpr.html Sender: linux-kernel-owner@vger.kernel.org X-Mailing-List: linux-kernel@vger.kernel.org Content-Length: 1226 Lines: 29 On Tue, 2005-12-06 at 15:25 -0800, Andrew Grover wrote: > Where possible ACPI does still use tables. For more complicated > configuration, ACPI uses easily-decompiled bytecodes. I think if the > graphics bios provided arch-neutral AML for doing all this > mode-setting stuff we'd be better off. Better than interpreting x86 > real-mode BIOS code! This is true. Real drivers with only _tables_ to describe the hardware would be best, but AML would be at least be better than i386 code, if we have to settle for something less. > You have to get a priori information about the system somewhere. With > ACPI at least it's not a complete mystery what the BIOS is doing, > unlike these video BIOSes. Actually, the one time I tried to decompile a DSDT it was a Dell Inspiron which did _everything_ through SMM traps. It was more opaque even than a binary-only driver (or BIOS). At least with i386-code I have _some_ hope of tracing it, if I have enough time and patience. -- dwmw2 - To unsubscribe from this list: send the line "unsubscribe linux-kernel" in the body of a message to majordomo@vger.kernel.org More majordomo info at http://vger.kernel.org/majordomo-info.html Please read the FAQ at http://www.tux.org/lkml/