Return to BSD News archive
Xref: sserve comp.os.386bsd.development:3200 comp.os.386bsd.misc:5383 Path: sserve!newshost.anu.edu.au!harbinger.cc.monash.edu.au!msunews!caen!math.ohio-state.edu!usc!nic-nac.CSU.net!newshub.sdsu.edu!saturn!larryr From: larryr@saturn.sdsu.edu (Larry Riedel) Newsgroups: comp.os.386bsd.development,comp.os.386bsd.misc Subject: I Want FreeBSD Intelligent Multiport Serial Card Support Date: 14 Feb 1995 09:21:04 GMT Organization: San Diego State University, College of Sciences Lines: 37 Message-ID: <3hpsm0$to@pandora.sdsu.edu> NNTP-Posting-Host: saturn.sdsu.edu X-Newsreader: TIN [version 1.2 PL2] God bless Linux I guess, but I hate it. So why use it? Because it has support for the Cyclades intelligent multi-port serial card which works and is attractively priced - a "first time buyer" can get a 16-port version for $400. As hard to imagine as it is, FreeBSD does not seem to have support for any intelligent serial cards - I posted an article here asking which cards are now or will be supported and did not get a single response. I could make a point that no real operating system lacks support for ANY intelligent serial cards, but I don't want to invite the "if you want a driver, write it yourself; otherwise go away - you didn't pay anything for the OS so quit whining about it" response, which is fine because that is the prerogative of free software developers, but this approach would accomplish nothing. The fact is if I tried to write a driver for the Cyclades card it would take me a long time and it probably would not be reliable which kind of makes it pointless; of course when the kernel crashes and people complain I can just say "quit bitching - how much did you pay for it - if you want a driver that works perfectly write it yourself! I worked my ass off to make that driver and gave it away for free!" which might be fun, but I would still feel guilty and I still would not have a driver that works. So, as an alternative, what if I find a way to get the FreeBSD development team a shiny new 16-port Cyclades card to have and to hold in exchange for getting a driver that works with FreeBSD 2.1 and is ready for me to help beta test in early April and production-ready in early May? And what if I could finagle some cooperation from Cyclades in the development of this driver? Would I then be doing my "fair share" to facilitate the inclusion of this sorely lacking feature in FreeBSD? After all, if a Linux device driver can be written for this card, imagine how easy it would be to write one for FreeBSD! :) Larry