Excerpts from mail: 11-Dec-94 Re: IEEE1275 OpenBoot suppo.. Theo de
Raadt@fsa.ca (521)

> > I think of OpenBoot (among other things) as a mechanism that allows a
> > kernel to access a device in the absence of a native device driver
> > (perhaphs I'm wrong).  When looking at devices for a new target, going
> > down the path of implemting the open boot interface (assuming the rest
> > was there) would be easier then initially worrying about native devices.

> As far as I know that isn't the case, because it probably doesn't take
> interrupts into account.  I believe the Sparc OpenBOOT device drivers
> are all polled.

I believe your right about the drivers using polling.  Regarding
interrupts, I'm uncertain, I do know that (in at least one case) the
driver must handle exceptions (I'll check when I get home).

Any way, to me, a kernel that boots using a slow polling device driver
is better then the kernel not booting at all.

			more later, Andrew