Various kinds of System reloads 2359

This was correct of Linux in pre 1.3 times, 1995 or so.

Linux nowadays have hundreds of modules. A pre-built kernel has included the essentials for the boot process in the statically linked set; i.e. disks, keyboard, text-based video. That is perhaps 20 of 400 modules. The rest is linked in dynamically.

It shows the success of the concept in that people don't bother re-linking their own kernels anymore.

Other operating systems went through a lot of stuff to boot. The most complicated boot process I have seen is the Prime 50-series booting Primos; it was worrst pre 21.0

1) small console processor (VCP) initializes processor 2) VCP uploads microcode to the main processor 3) VCP uploads boot loader to the main processor 4) main processor started 5) main processor given a load command over the console (VCP could do this) 6) processor loads stage1 boot 7) processor loads stage2 boot, processor changed addressing mode for this 8) Processor loads Primos-II, a single user version of the OS, running in yet another addressing mode (V-mode) 9) a script on the Primos-II loads Primos-IV 10) Primos-IV takes over, and enters protected mode to start timesharing 11) Devices are configured based on config file.

But, come to think of it, loading windows through DOS is just as complicated.

-- mrr