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	Gavare's eXperimental Emulator -- GXemul 0.3.7
2	==================================================
3
4	Copyright (C) 2003-2005 Anders Gavare.
5
6
7	Overview
8	--------
9
10	GXemul is an experimental instruction-level machine emulator. Several
11	emulation modes are available. In some modes, processors and surrounding
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
15	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
19	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
25	(PowerPC emulation is still relatively new in 0.3.7, so dont't expect too
26	much from it.)
27
28
29	Quick start
30	-----------
31
32	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
35	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
38	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
42	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	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