From owner-freebsd-questions Wed Sep 3 18:59:44 1997 Return-Path: Received: (from root@localhost) by hub.freebsd.org (8.8.7/8.8.7) id SAA24470 for questions-outgoing; Wed, 3 Sep 1997 18:59:44 -0700 (PDT) Received: from obie.softweyr.ml.org ([199.104.124.49]) by hub.freebsd.org (8.8.7/8.8.7) with ESMTP id SAA24461 for ; Wed, 3 Sep 1997 18:59:36 -0700 (PDT) Received: (from wes@localhost) by obie.softweyr.ml.org (8.7.5/8.6.12) id UAA13569; Wed, 3 Sep 1997 20:04:13 -0600 (MDT) Date: Wed, 3 Sep 1997 20:04:13 -0600 (MDT) Message-Id: <199709040204.UAA13569@obie.softweyr.ml.org> From: Wes Peters To: Doug White CC: questions@freebsd.org Subject: 'uname -m' not alpha? (was Re: 'uname -m' not i586?) In-Reply-To: References: Sender: owner-freebsd-questions@freebsd.org X-Loop: FreeBSD.org Precedence: bulk Doug White writes: > The `machine' identifies the architecture under which the kernel is > designed to run under. Since FreeBSD is designed to run under the Intel > i386 architecture (386 and compatible processors) it will report 'i386.' > This is also used to define machine-dependent code in the kernel to > compile, ie there is a /usr/src/sys/i386 heirarchy. In the future DEC > Alpha port there will be a machine type `alpha' in addition to `i386.' Hmm... Does anyone know what Digital UNIX (nee OSF/1) reports as the architecture for this machine? I suspect it is probably "axp", and contend we should probably mimic the DEC system if it's not too big a change at this point. For those who remember when DEC ruled the world of minicomputers, AXP has a nice "callback." Rumor has it, when DEC applied for a trademark on "Alpha" and was told they couldn't trademark it, the "AXP" moniker was brought up by some of the old-timers on the hardware side. Why "AXP?" It stands for (according to the scuttlebutt) "Almost eXactly Prism." I'll leave it up to Bill Pechter to explain what Prism was. -- "Where am I, and what am I doing in this handbasket?" Wes Peters Softweyr LLC http://www.xmission.com/~softweyr softweyr@xmission.com