added README and license

[bootcensus] / README.md

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+pcboot
+======
+
+This project is still in the early stages of initial hacking, so many of the
+following are not implemented yet, but rather the concepts that will be fleshed
+out in the future.
+
+pcboot is a minimal 32 bit protected mode kernel, which can be used to make
+bootable PC demos or games. It's not designed as a regular standalone operating
+system kernel, and cannot be used as such. The intend is to link it with your
+codebase, or more likely build your demo/game code around the pcboot kernel
+code.
+
+One of the core design principles is to allow starting pcboot programs from
+either traditional floppy disks, or USB sticks, and possibly CD-ROMs as well.
+The main idea is to make "down to the metal" PC hacking simpler, not requiring
+the maintainance of purpose-build retro-PCs. Nor having to deal with the
+inadequacies of MS-DOS, but rather follow a more Amiga-like approach of giving
+the finger to the ugly software stack of that time, and talk to the hardware,
+which is much more timeless and interesting, without middle-men.
+
+A reasonable effort has been made to make porting DOS protected mode programs to
+run under pcboot, but don't expect that just re-building your existing code will
+work out of the box.
+
+License
+-------
+Copyright (C) 2018  John Tsiombikas <nuclear@member.fsf.org>
+This program is free software. Feel free to use, modify, and/or redistribute it
+under the terms of the GNU General Public License version 3, or at your option,
+any later version published by the Free Software Foundation. See COPYING for
+details.
+
+Yes, this means that if you release any programs which use pcboot, you will have
+to release the source code as well, under the same terms.
+
+Let's drop any pretence that you have any good reason to keep your code to
+yourself. This is strictly a tool for retro-coding. There are no corporate
+secrets in a bootable PC demo. You can do it. If you insist on not sharing the
+code of whatever silly thing you make with the help of this, you can fuck right
+off.