Date: Wed, 22 May 1996 16:36:50 -0700 (PDT) From: Jake Hamby <jehamby@lightside.com> To: Terry Lambert <terry@lambert.org> Cc: hackers@FreeBSD.org Subject: Re: MkLinux for PowerMac available! Message-ID: <Pine.AUX.3.91.960522162758.18912A-100000@covina.lightside.com> In-Reply-To: <199605222235.PAA05245@phaeton.artisoft.com>
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On Wed, 22 May 1996, Terry Lambert wrote: > After you install, let me know how the MACH source tree pans out as > far as whether or not it's using ROM calls to implement device > drivers (like Tennon systems MachTEN), or if the device drivers are > truly native code. If they are native code, then it should be easy > to rip them out of the MACH into a BSD framework. Okay, I'll be sure to D/L the source and poke around, once I have the thing bootable (i.e. I can FTP, run GCC, and the like). > Note that the current processor support for the thing is limited to > the PPC 601 processor systems. The 603/604 systems won't work. Too bad. I hope they have this support (and PCI) before "1.0"! > The PPC stuff I have going is all 603 based stuff; I *think* it's > OK for a 604, but I'm pretty sure that it is *not* OK for a 601 > (I was planning a BeBox port eventually, if I can catch up with > the FreeBSD kernel changes; that should do both the 601 and the > SMP MEI-as-opposed-to-MESI cache coherency model work). Hmmm.. I've been reading about the BeBox. My existing PC is a fine workhorse, even though it is only a 486DX4/100, I haven't needed any more CPU personally. Still, it would be nice to upgrade one day to the fastest system I can buy and host Unix on. Do you think the BeBox will pan out on a pure price/performance level (assuming an SMP OS, of course) vs. a single-CPU high-end Pentium? Also, if the whole point of the BeBox is to host BeOS, then why port Unix to it at all? I'm not criticizing, just asking your opinion. > In any case, also take a look at the licensing for the MACH sources; > it may not allow free redistribution so it would be necessary to > derive documentation from their drivers, and then reimplement; that > would be tragic for a BSD port. Will do. > I am *very* interested in playing in the PowerMac/PowerMac clone > sandbox. 8-). Me too. I would be installing it at work, if not for the fact that I have access to multiple SPARC 20's and only one PowerMac which other people are using. Tomorrow, I will try it at school on an external SCSI disk hooked up to a PowerMac in a friend's computer lab. Perhaps, like the FreeBSD box in the same lab (buk.smll.csupomona.edu), we can put some accounts and Web pages on it, and make it available to other students. I think the PowerMac is a fine platform, which is hampered by a fragile OS. Putting Unix on it is one way to find out its true capabilities. ---Jake
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