Subject: Re: that was really easy
To: None <gr@eclipsed.net, port-macppc@netbsd.org>
From: Aaron Jackson <jackson@msrce.howard.edu>
List: port-macppc
Date: 11/17/1999 20:58:01
>Well, considering BootX does nothing but use OpenFirmware, it can't be
>the "only reliable way"... and considering it doesn't always work, I
>wouldn't call it "reliable". :^>

Well, I wouldn't call guessing for weeks until you find the right boot
command reliable either.  I wouldn't waste my time even loading an OS if
I wasn't guaranteed to be able to run it when I wanted to.  What I ment
was that, as far as my experiences are concerned, BootX has worked on
every computer I have used it on and I do the same exact thing on every
computer I have used to get it to boot linuxppc. I WOULD call that
reliable and it is the ONLY way I have been able to make my mac boot
into another OS (see below).

>OpenFirmware works, why knock it?

It doesn't always work the way it should. Boot commands that should work don't
always work. There is quite a wide range of boot commands depending on how
broken the open firmware is.  In theory, open firmware is a very good idea
but things don't always work so well in practice.  For example, I have a
wallstreet powerbook on which I installed linuxppc.  The first 7 hard disk
partitions are macos related, the last 3 are linux partitions.  The only
boot command that worked thus far has taken me into macos, not what I
wanted to do.

>So you have to learn about about how OF works, all the better. Why not
>know what your device tree looks like to OF? Isn't that sort of
>knowing where the tubes in your engine go? You don't really need to
>know it to drive the car, but it's mighty handy when figuring out why
>the car's making that weird clunking noise.

Well, I don't ever see myself at the side of the information super highway
with the hood up on my g3 powerbook trying to figure out why none of the
recommended boot commands work for me.  When the macppc port becomes
more popular, I promise you that one of the biggest faqs will be "How do
I boot into NetBSD?"  

Aaron Jackson