Researcher boots Linux from Intel Mac

niceguyrichy · Mar 16, 2006, 01:04 AM

An IBM researcher working on operating systems, virtualisation and computer security has developed an application that enables Linux, and potentially Windows XP, to boot on an Intel Mac.

Amit Singh's BAMBIOS works by running the BIOS (basic input output system) - code that Linux and XP use during the boot process - as a small OS within the Intel Mac's EFI boot environment.

Singh says that a non-EFI version of Linux can be 'readily' booted using this software and that he has made 'good progress' with booting an unmodified Windows XP installation.

'To EFI, our software looks like a regular EFI program which happens to be a bootloader,' Singh explained to OS News. 'This bootloader contains a binary payload which is an entire BIOS, VGA BIOS, and other x86-specific glue needed to boot the machine. This binary payload is loaded into memory in the legacy BIOS space. To all software on the machine, it appears as if the machine has a traditional BIOS. An important aspect of BAMBIOS is that its goal is to be non-disruptive.'

Source: PC Pro

The_Neon_Cowboy · Mar 16, 2006, 06:05 AM

well after all it just regular PC with a specail chip

Mar 16, 2006, 06:05 AM	#2
The_Neon_Cowboy HardwareHeaven Extreme Member Join Date: Dec 2002 Location: U.S.A. Posts: 16,009 Rep Power: 90 System Specs	well after all it just regular PC with a specail chip __________________