Date: Mon, 10 Jun 1996 17:06:11 -0700 (PDT) From: Jake Hamby <jehamby@lightside.com> To: Michael Smith <msmith@atrad.adelaide.edu.au> Cc: hackers@FreeBSD.ORG, chat@FreeBSD.ORG Subject: Re: BeBox mention of FreeBSD... Message-ID: <Pine.AUX.3.91.960610170033.5258A-100000@covina.lightside.com> In-Reply-To: <199606102338.JAA06992@genesis.atrad.adelaide.edu.au>
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On Tue, 11 Jun 1996, Michael Smith wrote: > Terry would probably have something to say here... > > Jake Hamby stands accused of saying: > > > > Thomas J. Merritt, president of CodeGen, on the BeBox: > > "I think it would make a terrific networking server. The only other thing > > that comes close in price/performance is a generic PC loaded with FreeBSD, > > ^^^^^^^ > > but that's a pain to configure. Windows NT and pay-for UNIX cost more, and > > *snort* How is anything going to be anything less 'painful' to configure? > Last I read the only ethernet adapter the Be OS supported was the NE2000, > which makes for a great network server, riiight. The BeBox would be less painful to configure if Be had control over the hardware specs (a la Macintosh or Sun), which since they are using stock PCI and ISA cards, they don't. Therefore it is not "plug and play" any more than a PC running FreeBSD. And I agree the driver support for these PCI and ISA cards is very limited (though to their credit, the NE2000 is THE most popular card and clones only cost $20, so the average hobbyist will love it). But I think the author meant that UNIX is a pain to configure, whereas BeOS is all point and click, but unlike the MacOS has a serious multithreaded, SMP kernel under the hood. > > other desktop OS's don't offer memory protection or other niceties the > > BeBox has." Parag adds, "With the GeekPort, the BeBox could also be nice > > as a user-friendly factory floor controller." > > Anyone who puts a BeBox on the 'factory floor' has rocks in their head. > The 'GeekPort' isn't up to any sort of serious industrial interfacing, > and the BeBox box wouldn't have a hope of survival. Yeah, the GeekPort is strictly for hobbyists. A factory floor needs a GPIB (the old IEEE-488) controller, most likely would not be too difficult to interface an ISA IEEE-488 card to a BeBox (but if you're doing that, just get a PC). After all, lots of factories used Commodore 64's originally to control the factory line because of the readily available IEEE cartridges. Scary thought! ---Jake > -- > ]] Mike Smith, Software Engineer msmith@atrad.adelaide.edu.au [[ > ]] Genesis Software genesis@atrad.adelaide.edu.au [[ > ]] High-speed data acquisition and (GSM mobile) 0411-222-496 [[ > ]] realtime instrument control (ph/fax) +61-8-267-3039 [[ > ]] Collector of old Unix hardware. "Where are your PEZ?" The Tick [[ >
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