Re: 5.1 release?

["Thomas Mueller" <mueller6724%bellsouth.net@localhost>]

from my previous message:

> Actually I have an older computer, Cx486DX-2 at 66 MHz, Texel, now Plextor
> CD-ROM (2x) on Trantor T130B SCSI which also accommodates Iomega Zip 250.
> Hard drive controller seems to no longer work, 3.5" 1.44 MB floppy drive
> works much of the time on 720 KB diskettes but no longer on 1.44 MB;
> 5.25" 1.2 MB floppy drive works most of the time on both 360 KB and 1.2 MB
> diskettes.  I managed to get FreeDOS to install and boot from the Zip 250,
> might try to install NetBSD 4.0.1 but will not have space for a full install,
> might get a minimally productive system at best.  When I get that new 
> computer,
> this old computer will go to the cyber waste recycling center!


from David Lord:

> Unless you can get a replacement disk controller or
> find a scsi hdd I'd send it to the tip. I have several
> 486 pcs but new ram to make them useful is way too
> expensive. I could manage to populate one of them to
> 32MB ram or two with 16MB. My firewalls with
> NetBSD 1.5x had only 8MB ram but were fit for purpose
> at least with a 500kb/s adsl connection. A lightning
> strike I think was responsible for those failing
> along with my desktop pc psu (confetti from a blown
> up cap) and monitor failed soon after.

I believe components needed to revive that old computer are no longer
commercially available.  SCSI has gone out of vogue.  Floppy disks 
deteriorate with age, some are no longer writable, some of those are no
longer readable.  Iomega Zip 250 disks can be changed only by rebooting,
otherwise I get the old directory and can't read the new disk.

I had a Syquest SyJet drive, 1.5 GB, that went bad, and no hope for repair
since Syquest went bankrupt and out of business.  I could get a fairly good
installation of NetBSD 4.0.1 on 1.5 GB if the SyJet were still usable, though
I'd have to use the newer computer and USB stick to build kernel and packages.

RAM on that old computer is 20 MB.


Tom