Embedded Linux, BIOS of Intel processor and Other processors for Embedded Linux - newbie

Hello,

In embedded system you usually find Non-Intel processors, as
I found from googling the net.

- If I am not wrong, when using an Intel Processor for Embedded
Linux you must have BIOS for that system.

What about other processors ? Like ARM, PPC, MIPS, etc. ?
do you must have a BIOS for them ?

And , in case it is not a must - is this fact is a significant fact
when preferring other processors than Intel for Embedded Linux?

Why ? is it primarily because of the fact that boot time becomes
shorter in a configuration without BIOS?

regards,
John

You may be wrong.

You may not have one available.

Considering the x86 for a moment.
BIOS is handy in the early boot process.
It fetches the first sector of the boot image (usually from hard or
floppy disk) then this 512 byte image uses the BIOS to access the disk,
and boot the operating system.
This means that the same operating system image can boot from a USB floppy
(on motherboards that support it), SCSI drive, ...

Without a BIOS of any sort, you need to place your OS in ROM, so that the
processor can execute it.

As an aside, the BIOS methods to access the disk cannot easily be done
once an X86 system is booted, as they don't work in the mode that's
not compatible with the 8086, in 32 bit address mode.

This is the same for X86 and other processors.
However, for embedded systems, configuring the OS to boot and use exactly
what peripherals are there is lots easier, as there are no random unexpected
boot devices that you don't know how to use.