From mboxrd@z Thu Jan 1 00:00:00 1970 Return-Path: Received: (majordomo@vger.kernel.org) by vger.kernel.org via listexpand id ; Mon, 13 Jan 2003 11:19:38 -0500 Received: (majordomo@vger.kernel.org) by vger.kernel.org id ; Mon, 13 Jan 2003 11:19:38 -0500 Received: from web13709.mail.yahoo.com ([216.136.175.251]:64086 "HELO web13709.mail.yahoo.com") by vger.kernel.org with SMTP id ; Mon, 13 Jan 2003 11:19:37 -0500 Message-ID: <20030113162827.46498.qmail@web13709.mail.yahoo.com> Date: Mon, 13 Jan 2003 08:28:27 -0800 (PST) From: Mad Hatter Subject: bootsect.S: 2 questions To: linux-kernel@vger.kernel.org MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset=us-ascii Sender: linux-kernel-owner@vger.kernel.org X-Mailing-List: linux-kernel@vger.kernel.org Hi, I was looking through the linux (2.5.56) arch/i386/boot/bootsect.S and was puzzled about a couple of things: 1. Near line 221 we have: sread: .word 0 # sectors read of current track head: .word 0 # current head track: .word 0 # current track However, since a diskette can have at most 2 heads, 80 tracks and 36 sectors per track, why are these not bytes instead of words especially since space is at such a tight premium in this code ? 2. Near line 272 we have "movw $7, %bx" but the documentation I've been able to find about the "int 0x10" BIOS call says that for service code 0xe (write character and advance cursor), it does not take an attribute byte input parameter but rather uses the existing attribute. Is this movw instruction superfluous ? Thanks. __________________________________________________ Do you Yahoo!? Yahoo! Mail Plus - Powerful. Affordable. Sign up now. http://mailplus.yahoo.com