RE: Debian install issues with i386 EFI based system
Robert and I have a private thread as well.
We plan on having a LinuxBIOS offering as well, but we have to be careful
navigating the GPL and Intel legal which made EFI the choice for our first
product.
Regardless, Linux does an excellent job with EFI support with just some
minor changes needed. The main problem has been that there hasn't really
been an i386 EFI hardware platform to test it against. We now have that.
And soon I will be addressing the AMD64 EFI issues with Linux.
The goal being, to help improve Linux to being the most stable and widely
supported OS in the industry.
BTW, I was part of the Itanium development with Dell and HP and did Linux
installs on IA64 EFI almost 10 years ago.
Charles
-----Original Message-----
From: Frans Pop [mailto:elendil@planet.nl]
Sent: Wednesday, December 12, 2007 12:01 PM
To: debian-boot@lists.debian.org
Cc: Charles Abdouch
Subject: Re: Debian install issues with i386 EFI based system
On Wednesday 12 December 2007, Robert Millan wrote:
> > We considered using LinuxBIOS
> > but there isn't any Intel support for it.
>
> Well, no, but I'm told AMD is strongly backing it up.
I have looked a few times at the list of supported boards and it is TINY.
I agree it has potential, but only in the very long term if I look at the
progress made over the last two years.
> > We're currently adding our own version of CSM (Legacy Support), but
> > other then a couple of minor packaging and program issues, Linux
> > supports an EFI-Only BIOS very well.
>
> It may do, but the whole model is designed with lockdown and restrictions
> in mind (why would you want a memory curtain in your firmware? oh well).
>
> Since you mention Linux, maybe you're interested in Torvalds opinion on
> EFI:
Please give it a rest Robert. _Your_ opinion is clear, but luckily that does
not need to prevent anyone else from working on support for something that
is available in the market.
Let's just judge the patches on their merit when Charles submits them. You
can always research free issues then and comment on them.
Note that we already have quite a bit of EFI support in D-I, basically
because there is a whole architecture that depends on it.
Cheers,
FJP
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