Re: bootsect.S changes

Horst von Brand (vonbrand@inf.utfsm.cl)
Mon, 18 Oct 1999 17:09:23 -0300


"Richard B. Johnson" <root@chaos.analogic.com> said:

[...]

> I can't imagine why. That's like deciding to rewrite the kernel so it
> doesn't require GCC to build. AS86 was just a TOOL! We try to use the
> appropriate tool for various purposes when the need arises. The
> appropriate tool to assemble Intel mnemonics is one that understands
> Intel. GAS does not. GAS doesn't even know the way Intel assembly
> should be written, i.e., destination operand first.

intel doesn't know which way operands should be written, etc. Just like the
war between little- and bigendians.

The AT&T syntax is sort of standard in the Unix world. It is what the
native Linux assembler uses, so to use intel syntax in a piece of the
kernel, and AT&T syntax in the rest, was just plain confusing. Plus a
separate tool was needed just for building the kernel, plus the need to
mess with an obsolete object format.

-- 
Dr. Horst H. von Brand                       mailto:vonbrand@inf.utfsm.cl
Departamento de Informatica                     Fono: +56 32 654431
Universidad Tecnica Federico Santa Maria              +56 32 654239
Casilla 110-V, Valparaiso, Chile                Fax:  +56 32 797513

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