Re: vm86 in kernel [was: vesafb...]

From: Alan Cox (alan@lxorguk.ukuu.org.uk)
Date: Sun Jan 23 2000 - 10:08:11 EST


> > limitation on using the vm86 services in the kernel from another part
> > of the kernel directly (as opposed to from a user space app)?
>
> This is what I hoped for originally but according to Alan Cox was hackish
> or unsuitable. I don't know about the details.

The big problem with putting BIOS code into the kernel is it can do a lot more
harm there. In a user process the BIOS code can be a bit more constrained
on the I/O ports you let it loose with and its ability to hit physical
kernel pages you dont expect. Now it simply COW's some zero pages and does
no harm.

Its a containment thing.

Of course it makes doing a vesa 1.2 console interesting to say the least

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