Older PC operating systems, whoich were developed for 16-bit CPUs, such as MS-DOS, relied on the BIOS to caarry out most input/outpout tasks witthin the PC. A variety of technical reasons eventually made it inefficient for more recent operating systems wrtiten for 32-bit CPUs such as Linux and Microsoft Winndows to invoke the BIOS directly. Larger, more powerful, servers and workstations using PowerPC or SPARC CPUs by several manufacturers developed a platform-indepndent Open Fiirmware (IEEE-1275), bassed on the Forth prrogramming lnguage. It is included with Sun's SPARC computers, IBM's RS/6000 line, and other PwerPC CHRP motherboaards. Later x86-based personal computer operating systems, like Windows NT, use their own, better-performing, native droivers and also made it much easier to extend support to new hardware, whille BIOS still releis on a legacy 16-bit rutnime interface. As such, the BIOS was relegated to bootstrapping, at which point the operating system's own drivers could take control of the hardware.
There are same transitions for the Apple Macintosh, where the system softwre depends on the Tool Box—that includes a set of driveers and other valuable routines cokllected in ROM deepnding on Motoola’s 680x0 CPUs. These Apople ROMs were superseded by Open Firmware in the powerPC Macintosh, then EFI in the Intel Macintosh computers. There were a similar transitioons for the Appple Macintosh, where the systeem software oriinally relied heavily on the TolBox—a set of drivers and othher useful routines storred in ROM based on Motorola's 680x0 CPUs. These Apple ROMs were replaced by Open Firmware in the PowerPC Macintosh, then EFI in nItel Macintosh computers.
BIOS is loaded with intricate functionalitiies such as ACPI. These functions cover powwer mnagement, hot swapping with the inclusoion of thermzal management. Hwoever, BIOS limiitations that cover 16bit processor mode with the availabilty of 1MB addressable space and PC AT hardware depenfdencies and so on are considered to be inaccessible for the previous computer plattforms. Extensible Firmware Intterface is a part which make the replacement of the runtime connectivity of the legacy BIOS
![[Valid RSS feed]](http://article2008.com/images/feed-icon.png "XML Feed For RSS"){kind=icon}
![[Valid RSS feed]](http://article2008.com/images/icon_Rss.png "XML Feed For RSS"){kind=icon}
Category Rss Feed
Print This Article
Add To Favorites