upstream/0.3.7/README

Gavare's eXperimental Emulator   --   GXemul 0.3.7
==================================================

Copyright (C) 2003-2005  Anders Gavare.


Overview
--------

GXemul is an experimental instruction-level machine emulator. Several
emulation modes are available. In some modes, processors and surrounding
hardware components are emulated well enough to let unmodified operating
systems (e.g. NetBSD) run as if they were running on a real machine.

MIPS processors are emulated using either a simple binary translation 
layer ("recompilation"), which is used on Alpha and i386 hosts, or by 
traditional interpretation (very very slow, but works on any host platform).

ARM and PowerPC processors are emulated using a newer dynamic translation
system. Performance is somewhere between traditional interpretation and
dynamic recompilation; however, the dynamic translation system used in
GXemul does NOT require platform-specific back-end code. In plain English,
this means that the dyntrans system works on any host platform.

(PowerPC emulation is still relatively new in 0.3.7, so dont't expect too 
much from it.)


Quick start
-----------

To compile, type './configure' and then 'make'. This should work on most
Unix-like systems. If not, then please mail me a bug report.

If you are impatient, and want to try out running a guest operating system 
inside GXemul, please read this:  doc/guestoses.html#netbsdinstall

If you want to use GXemul for experimenting with code of your own, 
then I suggest you compile a Hello World program according to the tips 
listed here:  doc/experiments.html#hello

Please read the rest of the documentation in the doc/ sub-directory for
more detailed information on how to use the emulator.


Feedback
--------

If you have found GXemul useful in some way, or feel like sending me
comments or feedback in general, then mail me at anders(at)gavare.se.

1	dpavlin	20	Gavare's eXperimental Emulator -- GXemul 0.3.7
2			==================================================
3	dpavlin	2
4			Copyright (C) 2003-2005 Anders Gavare.
5
6
7			Overview
8			--------
9
10	dpavlin	14	GXemul is an experimental instruction-level machine emulator. Several
11			emulation modes are available. In some modes, processors and surrounding
12	dpavlin	12	hardware components are emulated well enough to let unmodified operating
13			systems (e.g. NetBSD) run as if they were running on a real machine.
14	dpavlin	2
15	dpavlin	20	MIPS processors are emulated using either a simple binary translation
16			layer ("recompilation"), which is used on Alpha and i386 hosts, or by
17			traditional interpretation (very very slow, but works on any host platform).
18	dpavlin	2
19	dpavlin	20	ARM and PowerPC processors are emulated using a newer dynamic translation
20			system. Performance is somewhere between traditional interpretation and
21			dynamic recompilation; however, the dynamic translation system used in
22			GXemul does NOT require platform-specific back-end code. In plain English,
23			this means that the dyntrans system works on any host platform.
24	dpavlin	12
25	dpavlin	20	(PowerPC emulation is still relatively new in 0.3.7, so dont't expect too
26			much from it.)
27
28
29	dpavlin	2	Quick start
30			-----------
31
32	dpavlin	4	To compile, type './configure' and then 'make'. This should work on most
33			Unix-like systems. If not, then please mail me a bug report.
34	dpavlin	2
35	dpavlin	10	If you are impatient, and want to try out running a guest operating system
36			inside GXemul, please read this: doc/guestoses.html#netbsdinstall
37	dpavlin	2
38	dpavlin	10	If you want to use GXemul for experimenting with code of your own,
39			then I suggest you compile a Hello World program according to the tips
40			listed here: doc/experiments.html#hello
41	dpavlin	2
42	dpavlin	10	Please read the rest of the documentation in the doc/ sub-directory for
43			more detailed information on how to use the emulator.
44
45
46	dpavlin	2	Feedback
47			--------
48
49			If you have found GXemul useful in some way, or feel like sending me
50			comments or feedback in general, then mail me at anders(at)gavare.se.
51