Re: Definition of NetBSD users

[Dustin Marquess <dmarquess%gmail.com@localhost>]

On Sat, Mar 20, 2010 at 7:44 AM, <markucz%gmail.com@localhost> wrote:

> Hobbyists:
> *) Recently in a @tech-userlevel thread ("break down config") someone
> proposed dropping support for ports which _appear_ not to be used anymore
> and
> buying e.g. ARM/MIPS boards instead. What about those who still have old
> machines and want to continue using them?


Personally I first ran into NetBSD *because* of the fact that it works with
systems that others now don't:

1) An old Cobalt RaQ2.  Yes Debian works on it, but was constantly breaking.
 After having to reinstall it for the 5th time I switched it to NetBSD.
 That was my first taste of it.

2) Alphas.  I'm a self-proclaimed Alpha whore.  Yes, they're old.  Yes, they
chew power like there's no tomorrow and exercise my AC unit until its
breaking point.  But they run, and run, and run.  With the impending death
of Tru64, the fact that Linux/Alpha doesn't even have a glibc maintainer,
and the fact that FreeBSD dropped Alpha, NetBSD was the most logical choice.
 This was yet another taste of NetBSD.

I can safely say that my exposure to NetBSD on those less-popular platforms
have made me start using NetBSD on more popular ones (AMD64, ultrasparc,
etc).  So in a way the less popular architectures helped increase usage of
the more popular ones.

If NetBSD dropped support for cobalt/alpha, I'd understand, but I would also
be sad.  While I know that one day my Alphas will go to the great datacenter
in the sky (damn you, Compaq!), NetBSD is letting me use them to their
fullest today :).

-Dustin

>

Desktop users:
> *) Is NetBSD trying to outlinux Linux as a desktop system (like support
> Flash,
> Skype, etc. out of the box) or does it just provide a desktop if you need
> one?
> There's already PCBSD and even it is a Johnny-come-lately in that respect.
>
> More generally, it there a clear idea what NetBSD is going to be? Will it
> keep
> its profile as a lean and clean BSD or become yet another Un*x?
>
> Best regards