*BSD News Article 52125


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From: kenn@remus.rutgers.edu (Ken Nakata)
Newsgroups: comp.sys.mac.misc,comp.sys.mac.system,comp.sys.mac.hardware,comp.unix.bsd.freebsd.misc
Subject: Re: BSD UNIX on a PowerMac??
Date: 2 Oct 1995 11:49:54 -0400
Organization: Rutgers University LCSR
Lines: 30
Message-ID: <44p1n2$e80@remus.rutgers.edu>
References: <DEr9vL.vA@yedi.iaf.nl>   <Mark_Cookson-1909951051180001@mac1002.kip.apple.com>   <caradoc-2209951549440001@ppp-236-111.neta.com>   <erik-2609950903080001@192.0.2.1> <44cnda$msf@murrow.corp.sgi   <44idbi$a52@park.uvsc.edu> <44msfr$1bd6@hearst.cac.psu.edu>
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emb121 (Eric Bennett) writes:

] In article <44idbi$a52@park.uvsc.edu>
] Terry Lambert <terry@cs.weber.edu> writes:
] > The other problem is that the Mac word order is inverted, so you
] > have to write the UNIX "wrong" to use those routines (or take an
] > endian switch hit each time you do).

I think Terry was confused that m68k and PowerPC were different endian
machines, which isn't really the case.  PowerPC is primarily a big-
endian machine which also handles little-endian data.

] From the Linux/PowerPC FAQ: Is Linux/PowerPC little or big endian ? 
] Big.
[...]
] 4) It is a physical fact, like gravity, that big-endian is The Right
] Way. 

I'm not sure if this is true...

] Anybody know of the 68030 Mac port of BSD is also big-endian?

Big.  Who would do it otherwise?

ken n.
-- 
        Ken Nakata        | An unofficial MacBSD anon-ftp maintainer at
   a NetBSD UN*X-weenie   | ftp://remus.rutgers.edu/pub/NetBSD.  See also
    Rutgers University    | ftp://remus.rutgers.edu/pub/NetBSD/index.html.
New Brunswick, New Jersey | Home Page: http://remus.rutgers.edu/~kenn/