[unios] An OS Foundation layer

[Alan Grimes]

> The Foundation module is the first thing loaded by the boot
> loader. It consists of the initialization code, the basic
> HAL (Hardware Abstraction Layer) accessible via a thunk
> table and read only access to the boot drive file system.
> After initialization the Foundation loads and runs the
> Target code file.

Hmmz... How does that differ from GRUB? (I am stupid so I miss stuff like that). 

> The Target code then can be any sort of kernel or even non
> kernel system that resides at ring 0 and uses the HAL
> functions to manage the computer and load other components
> from the boot drive.

Okay you have your HAL below your kernel... hmmz, I would put the HAL in ring 1
of a ring processor or the user space of a user/system processor... Things like
the scheduler I would put in user space even! :P
 
> This might be against certain design philosophies but it
> provides a fix to the chicken and egg problem of loading a
> microkernel and disk file system driver.

In my prototype os that I may yet finish after I get back from this basic
research hiatus I do this: It is compiled into a 3 stage boot: the boot sector,
hardware init, that loads the resident portion of the OS. The OS in turn runs a
script that loads the runtime portions of all the components. It keeps the
proto-drivers resident to allow it to crash back to them in the almost certain
event of a failure... If the filesystem crashes the "System Loader" is
reactivated to allow you to try to fix it... But then it is probably foobar as
well so It will spend twenty minutes writing strange charactors onto your screen
before finally giving up... :P

-- 
He who can deal with today is ready for tomorrow.

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