Subject: Re: mac68k on LC520 setup
To: Josh Hope <otaku@redneck.hick.com>
From: Colin Wood <cwood@ichips.intel.com>
List: port-mac68k
Date: 07/25/1997 12:34:52
Josh Hope wrote:
> 
> hehehe...that's on the Web page :) It's sorta...not updated...
> 
> Not your fault!
> 
> On Fri, 25 Jul 1997, Andy wrote:
> 
> > >Uhm...NetBSD already supports FPU emulation...and has for a while now :)
> > >
> > >Josh
> > 
> > Damn. Then where was I reading that they were talking to the guy who made 
> > Software FPU, and were going to incorporate FPU emulation?
> > 
> > I must be going insane.  I swear I saw this very topic being discussed 
> > here like two weeks ago.
> > 
> > Oh well.  It's cool that it works. :P

I guess I need to run through and delete stuff that is a couple of years
old once again....wait, I just read the relevant 2 Q&A's in the FAQ, and I
believe that if you read them carefully, the issue is explained correctly.
To summarize:

1) Floating point capability (hardware or software) is required to run
   NetBSD usefully
2) Using Software FPU code is not an option as it relies on MacOS-based
   math routines which don't exist under NetBSD.
3) Kernels from 1.2 onward include 68881/2 floating point emulation
   support (i.e. '030-based Macs w/o an FPU will run NetBSD)
4) FPE for the 'LC040 does exist, but there are some bugs which make
   'LC040-based Macs rather unusable
5) Work is in progress on the matter (see the reference to the page by
   Ken Nakata)

Hopefully, this will somewhat clear up the matter.

Later.

Colin