[U-Boot-Users] Standalone application vs. command

Wolfgang Denk wd at denx.de
Wed Jan 25 12:26:11 CET 2006


In message <dr7jj3$5nd$1 at sea.gmane.org> you wrote:
>
> When should I write some routines for custom board as a standalone 
> u-boot program and when as a u-boot command. What are differences 
> between writing standalone applications and commands?

The main  difference  is  that  standalone  programs  can  be  loaded
dynamically.  So  everything which is needed only infrequently and/or
which may add too much to the memory footprint would  be  implemented
in a standalone application.

For example, many customers implement hardware test and burn-in  code
as  standalone  program;  they  use  this  code  in manufacturing and
service, but don't ship it with the product to the end customer. This
is possible as standalone programs don't have to  be  released  under
GPL.


Best regards,

Wolfgang Denk

-- 
Software Engineering:  Embedded and Realtime Systems,  Embedded Linux
Phone: (+49)-8142-66989-10 Fax: (+49)-8142-66989-80 Email: wd at denx.de
In the pitiful, multipage, connection-boxed form to which  the  flow-
chart  has  today  been  elaborated, it has proved to be useless as a
design tool -- programmers draw flowcharts after, not before, writing
the programs they describe.                        - Fred Brooks, Jr.




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