# Decision 0004: First Visible Milestone

Status: `Locked`

## Context

The project needed a first milestone that would produce fast, meaningful signal
without conflating platform-video integration with EE/BIOS bring-up.

## Options considered

1. BIOS fetch only.
2. GS-stub test pattern only.
3. Minimal homebrew EE graphics.
4. Split first milestone into two parallel proofs.

## Decision

Adopt a `split first milestone` with two parallel proofs.

### Milestone A: platform/video proof

- GS-stub test pattern through the platform video path.

Purpose:

- validate display plumbing,
- validate retroDE integration,
- isolate platform-output bugs from CPU/boot bugs.

### Milestone B: core/boot proof

- EE BIOS fetch and early trace match against DobieStation.

Purpose:

- validate memory visibility, reset vectors, and EE-side early execution,
- isolate core bring-up bugs from display-path bugs.

## Consequences

- Early work can proceed in parallel on platform-video and core-boot tracks.
- "First success" is no longer overloaded into one giant milestone.
- Minimal homebrew EE graphics is deferred to a later integration milestone.
- The stub-module plan should explicitly map which stubs and traces are needed
  for Milestone A versus Milestone B.
