[TUHS] Re: Porting Unix v6 to i386

[P.A.Osborne@ukc.ac.uk (P.A.Osborne)]

On Tue, Jan 29, 2002 at 05:57:58PM -0800, Aaron J. Grier wrote:
> > With so much open source code out there, it'd be a relatively simple
> > task to find C code for IDE disc access and such like. I would even
> > suggest getting older Linux code from the 2.0.x days as its likely to
> > be a little less complex, while still being stable.
> 
> Linux!?  why not one of the three BSD-licensed BSD-derived Net/Free/Open
> BSDs?  keep it "in the family" so to speak.  :)

Well that is what I intended,  certainly as a starting reference for
floppy, console drivers etc - IDE can wait till later.  Initially I 
would like to get v6 or 7 (probably 6 as the Lions commentary is
available) booting a kernel.   

Anyhow I have started gathering the tools (Watcom C compiler now
open source and free!  www.openwatcom.org),  nasm etc etc so I should
now have enough bits and bobs to compile 16 bit code - as gcc doesnt.

Of course if someone wants to rewrite the version of cc that comes
with V6 so it generates x86 binaries rather than pdp binaries, that
would be the utimate aim I guess.  That way you could run V6 on a
PC and get it to compile its own kernel....

Having had a rummage and a chat with acolleague here at
UKC - it seems that V6 will be easier than V7,  partially because
of the Lions commentary - but mainly because 286 protected mode 
gives a very similar handling on memory management as the PDP did.

Paul