Reinstate support for OS/4 loader and kernel.

[yoda]

The current ACPI driver seems to create more problems for people, than it fixes. Notebooks run hot due to missing powermanagement and HLT, C2,C3... ALL PC boots slower due to new realmode swich in and out during boot.

All these problems were fixed years ago by OS/4. Krnl have power control enabled, and loader can preload BASEDEVS before ACPI switches into protected mode.

Please make it possible for users to choose these improved versions from OS/4, at their own choice.

[jojo]

We do not have the resources available to support the OS/4 kernel. Even if we had, the OS/4 kernel contains copyrighted software and is illegal to use. It would be helpful if the OS/4 team could supply their fixes to the eComStation kernel in a way it does not violate any license terms.

[yoda]

Replying to jojo:

We do not have the resources available to support the OS/4 kernel.

I never asked for formal 'Support' from Mensys. All I asked for, is recognition of the OS/4 files, and hoking in in the right places, so it can be used as with earlier drivers. 'Support' for OS/4 must of course come from OS/4 team themselves.

Even if we had, the OS/4 kernel contains copyrighted software and is illegal to use.

No it is NOT. Any user of eComStation, who have payed for a legal License, have the rights to use all of IBM's (and others) code, that is included in eComStation. As such, they can download and use OS/4 files, as they already payed for all code used in these.

Notice, I _never_ said anything about Mensys should distribute these OS/4 files and support them - I clearly stated, that I wanted the the ACPI driver to recognize these, so the user "by his own choice" could use them.

It would be helpful if the OS/4 team could supply their fixes to the eComStation kernel in a way it does not violate any license terms.

I'm sure they can create a patch with the differences, if that is what you mean. OTOH, I don't understand Mensys's point here. "You" have an OEM contract to use and sell all IBM code. That of course includes the right to modify all the things you want to modify, as that is what OEM's do. You already distribute hundreds of modified IBM files in eComStation. Are there any particular reason, that you should not be allowed to modify the krnl and ldr files specifically ? AFAICS, Mensys do have the rights to distribute a modified kernel, if they wanted to, just as any user have the rights to use it.

Anyway, as said, this ticket is not about asking Mensys to support or distribute those files - it is only about making ACPI driver recognize 'other' kernels than the current ones, and make the correct hooks - just as the old ACPI drivers did.

[David Azarewicz]

There never was any support in the PSD for any kernels other than the IBM kernels. If you got it to work with other kernels then you were lucky. That being said, nothing in the PSD has been changed, removed, or added with respect to kernel support.

The PSD is a kernel plugin. If any of the interfaces fail, the PSD will fail to load. If you want a different kernel to work with this PSD, then you must make sure that the interface in that other kernel match exactly one of the supported kernels. The PSD does not check for specific kernels. The PSD only checks that it can interface with the kernel.

There is not, has not, and to the best of my knowledge, will not be any deliberate effort to exclude any specific kernel from working with this PSD. There will also not be any effort made to support any kernels other than the ones indicated as supported.

I know that you would like to be able to mix any random software together and expect it to work. I'm sure you can understand why that won't necessarily work, and why we can only support the kernels we have chosen to support. You are free to try to use the PSD with any kernel you want. There is nothing in the code that prevents you from doing that. If it is compatible then it might work. However, we will only test on and support the indicated kernels.

There will be no change in the kernels supported by this PSD and this ticket will be closed with a "wontfix" resolution.