I really don't have any background information. This post is just inference, from the function definitions.
2008/12/27 Robert P. J. Day <[email protected]>: > unsigned char read8(void* address) > { > return *((unsigned char*) address); > } As you can see, this function reads from a *memory* address. This would be useful for memory mapped IO. The address is a part of the address space of the processor. > > normal kernel source provides the universal primitives inb(), inw(), > inl(), outb(), outw() and outl(), no? shouldn't one expect to have These functions work on IO-ports; port numbers form a part of the 16-bit addressable IO-space of a processor. Having a common interface for read8(), write8(), etc, could simplify changes to the code, to make them work on different endian machines. -- Vimal -- To unsubscribe from this list: send an email with "unsubscribe kernelnewbies" to [email protected] Please read the FAQ at http://kernelnewbies.org/FAQ
