[Coco] Boot flexibility in OS-9

[Robert Gault]

alsplace at pobox.com wrote:

> Robert,
> 
> Sub-Etha Software's MultiBoot did that (up to 16 bootfiles on a floppy, 
> I think, was the limit).  I will be making this software available when 
> I get a chance.
> 
> However ... what about a boot file with *EVERYTHING* in it, and a booter 
> that somehow scans/ignores items (and does not place them in memory) 
> based on a config?  ie, you have one huge honkin' thing of every 
> descriptor, driver, etc. and when BOOT is booting it skips (reads but 
> does not copy into memory) items based on some kind of easy-to-get-to 
> boot config file?  It would have to be something that boot could easily 
> read w/o bloating the boot code... but think about that concept a bit.  
> You'd never have to make a boot again -- just add the modules there.  
> The downside would be items with same names inside -- enablng two H0s 
> would not work since only the first would be found, but you get what you 
> ask for.
> 
> Possibilities?
> 
> Is it possible to hve code that "runs" then is removed from system 
> memory?  ie, this code doesn't need to remain in the sysmem area after 
> OS-9 loads... how to do that?
> 
>     -- Allen
> 
> 
> 
> 

It is theoretically possible to skip over modules in the boot file but 
the problem is there is not enough room left to add this kind of code to 
the boot module. We would need to completely redesign the OS-9 boot 
process so that two separate files were used. One to hold boot, the 
check list, and the kernel; a second for the modules or perhaps just 
grab them from the module directory.