Le mer 2005-08-17 a 01:47:03 -0400, Sven Luther <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> a dit:
> On Tue, Aug 16, 2005 at 06:36:39PM -0400, Rick Thomas wrote:
> > 
> 
> I can build the miboot files and distribute them from p.d.o, they can just not
> be part of the release.

cool.

> > Rick
> > 
> > 
> > PS: Sven makes it sound as if reverse engineering the boot block is a 
> > trivial bit of work.  That's not entirely true.  It's  only trivial if 
> 
> Well, we alreadsy know it is some 100 or so m68k assembly lines, and those are
> mostly trap calls to the apple rom.
> 
> So, what is needed is :
> 
>   someone to take the bootblock and extract the code part from the bootblock.
>   The format of the bootblock is described on some apple page.
> 
>   someone who dissasembles those assembly lines.
> 
>   someone who then mapps the trap calls to apple rom calls.
> 
>   Once that is done, we need to write a specification of what is supposed to
>   happen to make it work, not mentioning the real code or what rom calls are
>   made.
> 
> Then once zwe have that, someone fully not incvolved with the above can do the
> reimplementing part :
> 
>   take the specification and rewrite said code.

ok, sounds potentially hard, but fun too.

> Also, we need a compiler that is able to generate apple m68k code and thus
> able to compile miboot, altough i have a version of codewarrior 4 or whatever
> it was CD, which is needed to build miboot.

gcc can't do it? oh, yeh, apple code....

> Now, it has been rumored that a boot code containing only the (free) non-code
> part would be able to boot. Nobody tried though.

gimme sources of this thing (URIs etc.), and i'll put up something on
my site (which i can try out too :).

> The first step can be done easily enough, and upto obtaining the m8k assembly
> lines. Then we can go look for help from the m68k community, which probably
> even has someone knowledgeable in apple roms. There are probably also books

yeh, like basiliskII people too, maybe, or qemu. 

> mentioning how to program said roms, at least there was for the amiga
> computers back then.

ask Bor_Ed on #debianppc.

> > Maybe we should establish a bounty for someone to reverse-engineer the 
> > Apple floppy boot block.  That might get somebody with the necessary 
> 
> (A stack of 10 oldworld machines ? :)

woohoo

> > skills to come out of the woodwork...  If ten of us put up US$100, 
> > would that be enough?
> 
> 
> Someone at apple releaseing the boot sector code as BSD code with the assembly
> source would be well enough.

hmm, time to do some e-mailing writing :).

> Friendly,
> 
> Sven Luther
> 

-- 
Cold pizza and cold coffee, second best thing to cold pizza and warm beer.
                -- me

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