Subject: Re: Installing NetBSD experiences and help wanted
To: None <netbsd-users@netbsd.org>
From: Jimmie Houchin <jhouchin@texoma.net>
List: netbsd-users
Date: 06/21/2005 16:54:20
Howdy,
Robert Cates wrote:
> Hi,
>
>> I don't understand why vendor (when they do) support Linux better and
>> sooner than the BSDs. The BSD license and culture I think seems
>> friendlier to the corporate environment. Hmm. :(
>
> I think there's a lot more marketing effort behind Linux, than there is
> the BSDs (especially NetBSD, something I've been personally working on
> but haven't been able to give it 100%, yet).
I would love to be able to market and recommend NetBSD. Naively, I don't
think they get any better technically or philosophically. But I can't
recommend what I haven't installed or used. To me the cross-platform
orientation offers tremendous value and benefits.
Just in my home alone over the last 10 years I've had 68LC040, PPC604,
G3, G4, G5, Athlon, Opteron, Athlon64. And at work a Pentium, PII and
now Athlon. My favorite programming tool is equally cross-platform,
Squeak. http://www.squeak.org
I think an area where NetBSD should be cleaning up is in some of the
embedded markets. For example on LWN (Linux Weekly News) I read of
Nokia's new tablet device.
http://www.nokia.com/nokia/0,,75023,00.html
Its running Linux. I think NetBSD would be a great match.
Great OS, capable, great license.
Good match for corporate innovations. :)
Things like that could help NetBSD with mindshare. And with that converts.
>> I cced as stated below the netbsd-help address. Since this isn't a
>> platform specific issue I didn't email the amd64 port maintainer.
>
> The idea was to make the maintainer aware of your needs, and hope that
> he would get the ball rolling. If he's at all interested in providing
> you and every other AMD64 platform user what you want/need, then he
> should be involved, they way I see it. You could pick any port
> maintainer as far as I see it, but since the AMD64 platform is becoming
> more and more important (in my view anyway) and you are an AMD64 port
> user, why not get him involved.
All valid points. Good lobbying.
Do to your points I sent a message to the x86-64 list.
Hopefully that'll get me going.
Thanks.
Jimmie
[snip original message]