On 19 May 2001, Eric W. Biederman wrote:
> The reason for placing a linux kernel in the flash is primarily so we
> don't have to write two copies of every driver. For really
> complicated twisty hardware a full kernel is very useful. For easier
> hardware your solution might be preferable. Assuming the maintenace
> isn't too bad.
simple recent example: we had lotsa weird trouble with *some* versions of
*some* ethernet on *some* mainboards using sis 630. It was a tough thing
to figure out. Our fix was to wait for linux to catch up to the hardware.
As of 2.4.3 Ollie's patches fix everything, but the key thing is there was
zero work on linuxbios part to get this resolved. That's why we boot
linux -- we're trying to keep the maintenance load down.
ron
