kjh@pollux.usc.edu (Kenneth J. Hendrickson) (08/02/90)
After very preliminary study, I have become convinced that if support for a math co-processor is to be added to Minix, it has to be added to the compiler, and not just the libraries. (The alternative - writing all code in assembly - just doesn't seem practical. In addition, code MUST be added to the kernel to swap out co-processor registers on context switches in case two different processes using the co-processor run at the same time.) I am a poor student [insert sound of violins here] and I can't afford the ~$100 for the compiler source. However, I would like to work on adding math-coprocessor support to Minix. I guess I'm hoping somebody has already been working on this project, and will post results soon, or maybe that somebody can send me the compiler sources gratis so that I can do it and post. With others working on 32-bit code, and floating point, and now 80x87 support, all we really need is virtual memory to have a _REAL_ operating system. Who knows, maybe we can finish before the GNU project ... -- Ken Hendrickson N8DGN/6 kjh@usc.edu ...!uunet!usc!pollux!kjh