16 Dec
2005
16 Dec
'05
7:26 p.m.
On Fri, 16 Dec 2005 08:23:49 -0800
"Robert Armstrong" <bob at jfcl.com> wrote:
Speaking of FreeDOS and DR DOS, is there also a "Free" BIOS?
Depending on what you want the 'freeness' to mean, the assembler
source code is published for IBM and Compaq's BIOS on some of
their hardware. If your primary purpose is wanting the source
code, that should help.
Is the Phoenix BIOS source code published anywhere, or was the
greatly heralded 'Phoenix reverse engineers the BIOS and frees us
from IBM' move really a 'closing of the
source?'
Yes, I know the BIOS is hardware specific, but most
PC
compatible
platforms are the pretty much the same. Even if they aren't,
it's nice to have a starting point.
Most __early__ PC Compatible platforms are pretty much the same.
To the point where XT-clone motherboards even had the same chips
placed at the same points on the board across brands. They all
made the exact same copies of the IBM originals for a time. I
have a few 'XT Clone' motherboard manuals that include the
schematic, and have used those schematics to service entire
different brands of motherboard.