# Linloader 0.35

## Introduction

Linloader is RISC OS command line program for booting Linux on Acorn RiscPCs (and hopefully later RISC OS systems), it does not provide a boot menu, or shut down the desktop. It does kowever boot gzipped kernels. Linloader is released under the GNU GPL and is © Timothy Baldwin and others.

Note that some links only work in the source distribution.

## Disclaimer

Linloader is distributed in the hope that it will be useful, but WITHOUT ANY WARRANTY; without even the implied warranty of MERCHANTABILITY or FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE. See the GNU General Public License for more details.

## Using Linloader

### Options

Short Option | Long Option | Description
-k | --kernel | RISC OS filename of the kernel to be booted, if this option is omitted the first non-option argument is used as the kernel filename.
-i | --initrd | RISC OS filename of the initial ram disc (initrd) to be loaded, alternatively a initial ram disc may be specified by a argument beginning "initrd=".
-c | --no-clear | Do not clear the screen.
-q | --quiet | Do not display banner.
-e | --extra-arguments | Prompt for extra kernel arguments before clearing the screen or displaying the banner.
| --dry-run | Do a dry run, do not actually boot the kernel, but instead wait for a keypress, then exit. This is intended for testing Linloader.
-h | --help | Show help text.
| --credits | Show credits.

Long options may be abbreviated provided they remain unique, though this feature may be removed in future. If Linloader is given an option of -- then all following arguments are not treated as options, this is useful if you want to pass an argument to the kernel which begins with `-`.

### Examples

- `Linloader ADFS::4.$.L.zImage root=/dev/hda3`
- `Linloader --kernel=ADFS::4.$.L.zImage -- root=/dev/hda3 -b`
- `Linloader ADFS::4.$.L.zImage initrd=ADFS::4.$.L.initrd`
- `Linloader ADFS::4.$.L.zImage --initrd ADFS::4.$.L.initrd`
- `Linloader -k ADFS::4.$.L.zImage -i ADFS::4.$.L.initrd`

### LOADLIN like options

By prefixing the arguments with -- Linloader can be made to accept options like those of LOADLIN.

## Building Linloader

Currently to build Linloader you need zlib, OSLib and Acorn C/C++. Alternatively it should be possible to use AS 1.30 2nd March 1999 or later with another C complier, after making appropriate modifications to the Makefile.

## Credits

- Matthias Seifert for the memory controller identification code which Linloader uses.
- Russell King for the ARM Port of Linux, especially the header file asm-arm/setup.h which is used by Linloader.
- The Free Software Foundation for GNU getopt.
- OSLib developers for OSLib.
- John Tygat for the RISC OS port of CVS.
- And it would not be a complete list without Acorn, for Acorn C/C++, however they are not really deserving of a mention.

## Contacts

I (Timothy Baldwin) can be contacted at tim@reinhouse.freeserve.co.uk, Linloader can be downloaded from http://www.reinhouse.freeserve.co.uk/riscos/linloader/

## Changes since version 0.20

- The second L in the name is now lower-case.
- After major internal arrangements Linloader can now be used as a library, though the interface is neither documented or stable.
- Can now boot gzipped kernels.
- AS is no longer required to build Linloader.