Re: off topic - Assembler using GCC

[MallarJ@aol.com]

In a message dated 2/3/99 9:55:07 AM Central Standard Time,
Marcus.Brinkmann@ruhr-uni-bochum.de writes:

> > However I am stuck now on implementing interrupts - specifically int 0x10.
>  
>  Are you poking fun? Do you really think it should be allowed for any user
to
>  program interrupts?
>  
>  The whole purpose of the Linux kernel is to protect the hardware from the
>  user processes.
>  
> 

I for one say, yes, any program should be able to mess with interrupts.  I had
a real-world example a few months ago.  My company wanted me to modify it's
test facility - a program designed to simulate credit card transactions via
serial communications.  It used interrupt driven comm routines to talk to the
server over standard phone lines.  I was constantly messing with the
interrupts.  (FYI - this was a DOS based program.)

I understand the need to shield interrupts from the user in most cases, but
Linux shouldn't prevent their use either.

And why would this require root to run the software?

-Jay