Re: Definition of NetBSD users

[matthew sporleder <msporleder%gmail.com@localhost>]

On Tue, Mar 23, 2010 at 1:35 PM, Greg A. Woods <woods%planix.com@localhost> 
wrote:
> At Tue, 23 Mar 2010 08:26:44 -0500 (CDT), "Jeremy C. Reed" 
> <reed%reedmedia.net@localhost> wrote:
> Subject: Re: Definition of NetBSD users
>>
>> I do see a few features that Linux systems commonly provide that make it
>> easier, most notably: 1) automated tasks on hardware plugin/removal
>> (dynamic device management from userlevel); 2) more consistently
>> provided binary packages for common platforms and better tested binary
>> package maintenance tools; 3) friendly installer that installs common
>> desktop" software by default; 4) Flash support.
>>
>> For NetBSD: 1) code for this has been done a few times and core@ is
>> attempting to make a decision on this; 2) need more official bulk build
>> machines and need some more maintenance to pkgin; 3) a few projects have
>> been done to redesign and rewrite a NetBSD installer (but not complete
>> as far as I know); 4) Convince the world to not use proprietary
>> technologies! (Let's not re-discuss #3 on this thread.)
>
> This is idle rambling with my coffee in hand, but your points and
> comments do raise some of my own that I'd like to write a wee bit about:
>
> 1) better hot-plug device support for sure! -- that's something which
> you see on Mac laptops and desktops as well, at least for those kinds of
> devices which are meant to allow hot-swap.  Some careful thought has to
> be put to how to differentiate the needs of the "desktop"/personal
> machine with the needs of a secure server/cluster environment though
> (one cannot assume that physical security alone is enough!)


I don't really understand how hot-swap became a desktop-only feature.
Adding resources on-the-fly has been a server feature for years and
years.  I personally allocate a lot more additional disks to servers
than plug in thumb drives to my laptop.