* **Refactor**
* GPIO subsystem moved to a descriptor-based model for per-pin ownership and runtime pin management; many platform drivers now acquire/release descriptors.
* Device trees and drivers now use GPIO phandle-style pin specifications across all boards and all drivers.
* **Behavior**
* Device list now encodes per-device status (ok/disabled); boot will skip disabled devices accordingly.
* **Deprecation**
* Legacy GPIO HAL marked deprecated and replaced with descriptor-based interfaces.
* **Chores**
* Bindings and platform configs updated to the new GPIO pin-spec format.
* **New Features**
* Added a HAL device module providing device enumeration, type queries and a HAL↔kernel bridge.
* **Improvements**
* Integrated HAL module into startup; standardized module names, includes and lifecycle logging; safer file append behavior; broader build support.
* **API Changes**
* Driver lifecycle now uses explicit add/remove semantics; C and HAL device type/lookup APIs clarified.
* **Chores**
* Added module README and Apache‑2.0 license; updated build configuration to include the new module.
* **Fixes**
* Updated tests and object file handling to behave correctly.
* **New Features**
* Plugin-style modules for platforms and devices with start/stop lifecycle and a runtime-consumable device tree array.
* **Refactor**
* Consolidated initialization into a kernel/module startup flow.
* Generated devicetree artifacts moved to the build Generated directory.
* **Changes**
* Removed legacy no-op registration hooks and I2C lock/unlock wrappers.
* Driver ownership and private state moved to explicit module/owner model.
* Added ERROR_NOT_ALLOWED error code.
