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SubjectRe: Kernels > 1M
Derek Wildstar wrote:
>
> 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)
>

Yes, it breaks the entire boot protocol, with initrd etc, as well as
require a helluva lot more complex boot loader. Furthermore, it breaks
*all* existing boot loaders. vmlinux is *NOT* a complete Linux kernel
-- it only contains the 32-bit part. The hybrid 16/32-bit nature of the
i386/PC architecture unfortunately requires a 16-bit setup stage, which
cannot be well supported in this format.

Furthermore, ELF is massive overkill for what the kernel needs to
load... it is linked to ELF mostly to leverage the existing tool chains
and debuggers.

In short, you're proposing a massive project, and hasn't come up with
any justification other than the fact that "the other guys do it", which
is no justification at all.

-hpa

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