From mboxrd@z Thu Jan  1 00:00:00 1970
Message-ID: <20de964ecc1e322819c6899d6f76675b@swtch.com>
To: 9fans@cse.psu.edu
Subject: Re: [9fans] Writing device drivers
From: "Russ Cox" <rsc@swtch.com>
Date: Sun, 16 Apr 2006 20:24:18 -0500
In-Reply-To: <9f4de465cf61485430ee91fcafee8b14@quanstro.net>
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> why can't the firmware be compiled on linux or
> windows or something and treated as binary goo?

depends on how much it interacts with the driver.
the wireless ones come with a giant mess of goop
that you're not allowed to touch or even know what
it means.  but then the ncr scsi drivers have a nice
simple microcode that is tightly integrated with the
actual driver.  see the plan 9 and linux drivers, for example.
nigel wrote an assembler for it and it's *far* better
than the hand-assembly that the linux driver writers
resorted to.

russ