[syslinux] com32 module compatibility between 5.x versions

[Pete Batard]

On 2013.08.10 17:21, H. Peter Anvin wrote:
> Potentially, yes.

Now we're getting somewhere.

> I don't think 5.01 and 5.10 specifically have any
> chances, but changes could be at any time.

Which is fine, and pretty much what can be expected from any software at 
any time.

Regardless of whether I embed the multiple versions of ldlinux.sys/.bss 
in the app, or they come from the ISO, I will have to support any 
differences in the installation protocols anyway. And doing that is 
something that has always been on my radar as Syslinux evolves.

I was actually pleasantly surprised to find that the switch from 4.x to 
5.x required no major changes in the FAT installation method (haven't 
tried 6.x yet).

Thus, supporting 3, 4 or more wildly different installation procedures, 
that I can mostly copy from the official Syslinux/win32 source, and that 
are unlikely to result in more than a few extra KB of code, is no big 
deal, so long as I could obtain the .sys+.bss from isolinux.bin.

Especially, it is much preferable to either:
- Embed a single specific version, most likely the latest stable, with 
all possible .c32 modules, and having a single Syslinux installation 
method... but that I need to upgrade as required with each Syslinux release.
- Embed all the .sys+.bss versions from 5.00 up, so that I can support 
ISOs created with those versions, and still have to handle all the 
installation methods for these versions, if any differences exist.

All in all, the amount of work required is basically the same.

However, being able to simply fetch the relevant .sys and .bss from 
future ISOLINUX based ISOs would make a world of difference in terms of 
how large the application needs to be, or how inconvenient it becomes 
for users if requiring them to go online, to download the required 
Syslinux files.

Regards,

/Pete