From: james.harris.1@gmail.com   
      
   On 13/12/2021 15:32, Scott Lurndal wrote:   
   > Rod Pemberton  writes:   
   >> On Sun, 12 Dec 2021 01:35:09 -0800 (PST)   
   >> "muta...@gmail.com"  wrote:   
      
   ...   
      
   >>> But surely the proper solution is to put not just this but   
   >>> also the printer into the BIOS and abstract the hardware?   
   >>>   
   >>   
   >> 1980s - not enough processing power   
   >> 2010s - why not ...   
   >   
   > Because BIOS, as Basic I/O System, has been obsolete as a concept   
   > for decades   
      
   Hardly.   
      
   > - primarily due to the need to update the BIOS to   
   > support every single new device and the inability to extend the   
   > interface in any rational way without burning a new PROM (or   
   > in modern days, updating a flash chip).   
      
   BIOSes don't need to be updated to support new devices. Instead, it has   
   been common for add-in cards to come with ROMs which hook their code   
   into the BIOS at boot time.   
      
   >   
   > To a certain extent, standards such as AHCI and XHCI have created   
   > a common base for a subset of hardware devices, but there is no   
   > equivalent for networking or printers.   
   >   
      
   AFAIK there are no BIOS calls for the network.   
      
      
   --   
   James Harris   
      
   --- SoupGate-Win32 v1.05   
    * Origin: you cannot sedate... all the things you hate (1:229/2)