*BSD News Article 39585


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From: zarkdav@eddy.frmug.fr.net (Benjamin Ryzman)
Newsgroups: comp.sys.powerpc,comp.unix.bsd,comp.unix.sys5.r4,comp.unix.misc,comp.os.linux.development,comp.os.linux.misc,comp.os.386bsd.development,comp.os.386bsd.misc
Subject: Re: Would the design be right this time? (Re: Interested in PowerPC for Linux / FreeBSD / NetBSD?
Date: 16 Dec 1994 16:24:07 +0100
Organization: Setec Astronomy
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>>>>> Au sujet de "Would the design be right this time? (Re: Interested in PowerPC for Linux / FreeBSD / NetBSD?", S Lee écrivait récemment:

SL> I'm definitely interested in a Linux- or *BSD- running PowerPC
SL> computer.

SL> Waiting for IBM's Power Personal Systems (or whatever it is
SL> called) I wonder if they'll get the design right this time.

SL> Is there anything people really *don't* want IBM (or clone
SL> makers) to put in their new computer?  Like:

SL> - IRQs and DMA channels that must be configured by the user
SL>   manually 
SL> - non-sharable IRQs 
SL> - lame sound 
SL> - 2 FD/2 HD limit (I know this is no longer true, but I hope
SL>   they get this right the first time) 
SL> - 1 display limit (I think solutions exist, but are
SL>   really expensive)

Heck! who would actually *want* that?
I REALLY DON'T WANT THAT.

sign here: [X] Benjamin Ryzman

SL> Having the following will be nice:

SL> - Hot-pluggable peripherals (Keyboard, mice, disk drives?)  

It's already there (I mean, there are solutions for hot-pluggable
disk-drives already, and last I checked my keyboard and mouse could
be plugged/unplugged while my PC was running...)

SL> - built-in DSP 

I suggest that you compare the performance/price ratio of a
dedicated DSP and a PowerPC doing DSP work...

SL> - built-in graphics accelarator (better, one that
SL>   can handle sprites and several levels of background scrolling) 

Yes, that would be neat, but I'd prefer a non-built-in one
(expandable solution prefered to another VGA "standard")

SL> - auto-eject floppy drives 

Well, who uses floppies nowdays? And, yes, most removable-media SCSI
devices have an eject command.

SL> - built-in networking

Yes, but which one? Scaning IBM's history, it looks like they'd
prefer built-in Token Ring to built-in Ethernet...

SL> I hate to admit this really sounds like a Mac, but Apple did get
SL> their designs right.  If people are making clones, I hope
SL> they'll not clone the flaws also.

It looks more like an Amiga to me (the sprite on a scrollable
background, you know)...

SL> Really, if somebody can get Linux running on a PowerMac, I might
SL> just go ahead and buy one...

I guess most would-be PowerPC kernel developpers are thinking like
you, though the easiest thing to do would be to port the kernel to
an RS/6000 first and then to a PowerMac (that is, IF Apple grants you
the right to get the documentation of its proprietary devices...)

SL> sl14@cornell.edu Witty .sig under construction.

SL> P.S. somebody please suggest a good followup newgroup, I don't
SL> know where this belongs to.

edited out comp.sys.intel (nothing to do with Intel), comp.os.misc
(we're talking about Free Unices, here), comp.unix.pc-clone.32bit
(no PC-Clone). I guess comp.unix.bsd and comp.unix.sys5.r4 should
be edited out, too.

As for the followup, I suggest comp.sys.powerpc (together with
comp.arch, maybe), though I don't receive these newsgroups.

-- 
Amicalement, "Benj"  Email: zarkdav@eddy.frmug.fr.net
+ Fish Tag + Gloub. Gloub. Gloub.