Re: [B2-devel] Open Source Firmware?

[Gwenole B. <gb...@di...>]

Hi,

> I posted this before, but it did not show up in the archives. Sorry if
> this is a dupe.

Nope, the initial message did not go through.

> I would like to emulate a powerpc machine, but without licensing a ROM
> image.

You do need a PowerMac PCI ROM or a NewWorld ROM image, like e.g. the 
one from the retail 8.6 CD version (nwrom v1.4 IIRC) since it contains 
the 68k emulator, low-level service routines and the NanoKernel. You 
don't need OpenFirmware nor actual BootROM.

> My question is, are there any projects that aim to provide open source 
> firmware that works with SheepShaver?

Not that I am aware of. I once tried to merge the OF client interface 
from Mac-on-Linux but it does not provide any benefit over what is 
already done in augmenting the NameRegistry manually. And we don't have 
a full initialization process from the HardwareInit routine in the 
(uncompressed part of) NewWorld ROM. Rather, we directly jump to the 
NanoKernel entry point.

> Does OpenBIOS work with SheepShaver?

No, it doesn't.

Bye,
Gwenole.