> > I think Colin has missed the fact that we are not dealing with a monitor,
> > but the actual video card on the IIcx. Remember, the IIcx is special in
> > that it does *not* have any internal video. It must have some type of
> > video card in it. I don't see anyway around this. You could buy a really
> > cheap used video card to pop into the IIcx just to boot it.  Then, the
> > paperclip trick should work. Personally, I use a Mac <-> VGA adapter on my
> > Centris 650, just in case I want to plug in a monitor to see what's going
> > on.
> 
> The kernel should be able to boot with no video devices present at all.

doesn't matter if the NetBSD kernel can boot without video devices if
MacOS can't...like i said, when i turn on the machine without a video card
in it, MacOS won't even boot up - no disk activity.  I'm just using this
broken video card to get past that fact (apparently MacOS likes it), so
that NetBSD can boot. The fact that NetBSD can't boot with the console on
this video card (i'm guessing - sounded like MacOS booted up, and then
NetBSD didn't) is something else...it is quite an unusual video card:

 macvid0 at nubus0 slot b: Sigma Designs L-View
 macvid0: Unknown video card ID 0x278 -- Not installing interrupt routine.
 macvid0: 832 x 600, monochrome

It has an 9-pin video connector, and I was told before that it was made
for a special monitor.

Well, this kinda works now. i guess. <shrug> when it runs into problems,
it'll be time for me to go get an apple video card.

thanks,

  - a