[PATCH 1/3] Add a dedicated function to query debug action to board_api

[Paul Fertser]

Hi,

Werner Almesberger <werner at openmoko.org> writes:
> Paul Fertser wrote:
>> currently used to skip a boot possibility. To allow user to debug boot
>> problems we can use the POWER button,
>
> By the way, may I suggest that, in the long run, this kind of features
> should be handled by the intermediate system that implements the boot
> loader GUI and kexec's to the real system.

I agree in general. But do you really think that the possibility to
skip a kernel by pressing a button connected to GPIO should be removed
from Qi? I think that the way the things are working now is a good
balance between simplicity and convenience. Most users don't need a
real bootmenu anyway and adding another (slimmed down, but
nevertheless) kernel would increase boottime and overall system
complexity.

As to this loglevel thingie, i'm just trying to implement what Andy
was going to do anyway. And as soon as it doesn't hurt simplicity, i
think it's ok to provide a user a shortcut to debug boot problems
after kernel update, e.g.

> There are a number of reasons:
> - the number of possible interactions (buttons) is very limited

So is number of things a user might want to do with such a simple
bootloader.

> - magic buttons tend to be confusing (see how complex things are with
>   GTA02 under u-boot for boot menu and NOR)

Are you talking about user's POV or developer's? I haven't really looked
at GTA02 u-boot code but the way Qi interacts with buttons is quite
transparent imho. And as a user i never had a confusion how to
start/operate u-boot.

> - on GTA02, AUX is a dangerous button, so it's better if we don't use
>   it for too much

I hope that all the danger is gone after Andy moved steppingstone code
to 0x40000000, isn't it? ;)

> Implementing this in the intermediate system doesn't conflict with what
> you're doing, but I think it would be good to direct efforts more
> towards a long-term solution than tweaking Qi.

I hope some guys who want that fancy bootmenu will come soon with a
decent solution, if they don't that means they don't really need it ;)

As to this dynamic loglevel tweaking i'm trying to do, i'm just making
use of what is already there.

> Of course, hacking boot loaders is fun ;-)

Not always, especially when one doesn't have a debug board :)

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