> I'm just updating the Ports/index.html page and I'd like to add
> a note to NetBSD/pica that it is due to be replaced with
> NetBSD/arc.
>
> Does this seem reasonable, and if so would anyone have any info
> I could put up on NetBSD/arc? :)

I also had a plan to have NetBSD/arc WWW pages for public.  I think
it'd be nice for people concerned with the progress.

Here is the project background which I happen to know of.

History

Noriyuki Soda (soda@netbsd.org) started OpenBSD/arc porting to NEC
M402 as a cerntain contract job.  He and his colleague completed the
project successfully with the complete set of X11R6 server and
clients for it.

During the project he realized repeatedly it's necessary to have
NetBSD/arc reflecting improvements accumlated by NetBSD project over
years.  Since then, he made substantial efforts to make NetBSD/arc a
realtity.

Current progress

NetBSD/arc kernel now can boot itself but dies soon.  Noriyuki Soda
found there is a substantial issue inside NetBSD/mips pmap.c.  In
short, NetBSD/mips can not handle well any hardwares with no L2 cache
memory.  The symptom which he's experiencing was also observed in
another MIPS port (NetBSD for NEC Vr4100 based Windows CEs).  He's now
making the correct solution to improve pmap.c for L2-less hardwares.
 
Contact person

Noriyuki Soda (soda@netbsd.org) and Tohru Nishimura
(nisimura@netbsd.org).  Both are willing to have ARC compliant
hardwares donated to make the progress faster. 

Future direction

NetBSD/arc will be the first 'mips64' port to utilize R4000
processor's potential.  ARC descentders have modern hardware
machinaries like PCI.  There is the grewing number of MIPS processor
Windows CE handhelds/palmtops with PC card, IrDA and LCD.  They also
are candinates for NetBSD ports. 

--

Tohru Nishimura
Nara Instituet