From: muta...@gmail.com   
      
   On Friday, July 16, 2021 at 1:32:50 AM UTC+10, anti...@math.uni.wroc.pl wrote:   
      
   > muta...@gmail.com  wrote:   
   > > What is the reason that drivers for various bits of   
   > > hardware are being put into the operating system,   
   > > usually only the very latest version of Windows,   
   > > instead of being flashed onto the firmware with   
   > > an API that is available (via BIOS or UEFI) to all   
   > > operating systems?   
   >   
   > There is simple answer: drivers are really part of operating   
   > system. In more details: driver interface, that is way   
   > in which drivers interact with operating system is   
   > important part of design of operating system. DOS   
   > took CPM design with BIOS interface. This design was   
   > good for small machines but severly limited possible   
   > DOS improvements.   
      
   Thanks. Based on your answer, I now have the ability to   
   refine my question.   
      
   Whenever I pick up some C code, I throw it into a C   
   compiler to see what it does out-of-the box. I expect   
   it to be C90-compliant out-of-the-box.   
      
   If you go:   
      
   bcc32 -DGIVE_ME_POSIX *.c   
      
   and it activates a whole lot of Posix functionality that   
   makes the program so much better, that's fine.   
      
   But the default should be for a non-Posix system,   
   like MVS 3.8J.   
      
   Same applies to:   
      
   bcc32 -DGIVE_ME_WINDOWS7_AND_ABOVE *.c   
      
   So, if all attached USB sticks are presented by the BIOS   
   as hard drives by default when the system boots, so that   
   no USB driver is required, then that's what I want. Or if   
   not that, then give me a BIOS or UEFI call to access   
   the USB sticks as hard drives.   
      
   If this is going to produce performance problems, fine,   
   provide a non-default BIOS/UEFI call to deactivate the   
   firmware-control over the USB sticks and pass control   
   to the OS to manage the devices since the OS knows,   
   or thinks, or is configured, that it has the appropriate   
   drivers for this device already and can do a better job.   
      
   BFN. Paul.   
      
   --- SoupGate-Win32 v1.05   
    * Origin: you cannot sedate... all the things you hate (1:229/2)