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<Googulator>aggi: A make_bootable-like step is certainly not feasible under builder-hex0, as make_bootable depends on having actual hardware access on the kernel side, something we don't currently get until we kexec into Linux.

<Googulator>The only hardware accessible at runtime before starting Linux is the display, everything else happens in memory.

<Googulator>Instead, you would have to load a newly built Linux kernel in an ad-hoc way, similar to how kexec-fiwix loads Fiwix, and then once Linux is running, you can access hardware and create a persistent system.

<Googulator>The two biggest limitations of the builder-hex0 kernel are 1. no real multiprocessing (i.e. fork must be immediately followed by exec. and the parent process can't get control back until the child exits for good), and 2. no deleting files (it's relatively easy to implement a "fake delete" that renders deleted files inaccessible without releasing

<Googulator>their memory space, but actually reclaiming memory held by deleted files is considered an insurmountable problem)

<Googulator>No real multiprocessing, in turn, means, no "make".

<Googulator>And no real shell.

<Googulator>Nothing more capable than Kaem, that is.

<Googulator>I was slightly wrong about Fiwix only interacting with the display - it can also interact with the keyboard. But, most notably, not the disk or network subsystem.

<Googulator>(Fiwix does have some disk support, but it's limited to legacy hardware that can emulate an IBM PC/AT hard disk.)

<Googulator>i.e. SATA disks can work so long as the controller is set to legacy IDE emulation mode, and you don't try to access anything PC/AT's original IDE protocol couldn't.

<Googulator>Mikaku: is 28-bit LBA supported at least, or only CHS?

<lanodan>Haha that reminds me I have an old IDE HDD with a jumper setting for 4092 cylinder limit

<Mikaku>Googulator: 28-bit LBA is supported (136GB disk size)

<aggi>Googulator: this is the answer I needed. and i am not disappointed at all if kexec remains. merely tried to verify all options in advance.

<aggi>with regards to hardware-support, well, yes, a kexec linux-tcc has advantages

<aggi>although PATA-IDE with fiwix should be good enough for bootstrapping requirements

<aggi>otherwise, network driver support was one major issue with linux-2.4 too, hence i backported ax8872 ethernet dongle support, and some latest realtek gigabit ethernet driver version

<aggi>sata/ahci tested OK too.

<aggi>however, the real reason i kept this kernel in maintenance wasn't a replacement option for fiwix, but a replacement option for linux4/5 since the latter could not be supported with tinycc

IRC channel logs

2026-03-03.log