> > > It would suck... because you just invented *yet another* format
> > > incompatible with all the rest.
> >
> > I don't see why a plain ELF executable (possibly gzipped) is yet
> > another format.
> >
>
> You've got to be joking, right?
>
> Is it something the current boot loaders can boot? No. Why not?
> Because it is another format. Clue?
Since linux's native kernel format is ELF, what's the problem with
supporting it with a boot loader? If a loader can load ELF binaries it
also brings us in sync with some commercial UNIXes:
degas# uname -a
SunOS degas 5.5.1 Generic_103640-12 sun4c sparc SUNW,Sun_4_75
degas# file /platform/sun4c/kernel/unix
/platform/sun4c/kernel/unix: ELF 32-bit MSB executable SPARC Version 1,
dynamically linked, not stripped
degas#
bluebeard 13# uname -a
IRIX bluebeard 6.5 01221644 IP32
bluebeard 14# file /unix
/unix: ELF N32 MSB mips-3 executable (not stripped) MIPS -
version 1
bluebeard 15#
~ (2) dwild@elek> file /usr/src/linux/vmlinux
/usr/src/linux/vmlinux: ELF 32-bit LSB executable, Intel 80386, version 1,
statically linked, not stripped
~ (2) dwild@elek>
So my question is, as things are now vmlinux requires extra processing
before it can be loaded by a boot loader. What's the harm in using a boot
loader that can handle the native linker format? Does it break other
things? (I'll be the first to admit i don't know the internals of boot
loaders, so forgive me and please correct me if i'm way off here)
-dwild
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