Re: NetBSD/vax current

[Dave McGuire <mcguire%neurotica.com@localhost>]

On 04/13/2014 03:21 PM, Johnny Billquist wrote:
>>> Just a "thanks" to all the people, who still keep this port working.
>>> I actually managed it to build a KERNEL & DISTRIBUTION
>>> on a VAX.
>>>
>>> Thanks again!
>>
>>    Seconded.  I'm not doing much with it just lately, but I did a few
>> months ago, and then things got busy with work.  I've gotten a gaggle of
>> new VAXen here (including a pair of VAX-11/785s!) and plan to do much
>> NetBSD/vax hacking in the not too distant future.
>>
>>    Let's keep this port alive!
> 
> You are going to be soooo disappointed. Trying to just build a kernel on
> the 11/785 will take an estimated two weeks. Really.
> It's not really doable on the 8650 any more either. :-(

  Perhaps I should've been more specific.  I plan to run VMS on the
11/785s.  I have a few 4000/90s and other later machines for NetBSD.

> By the way, my comments about my 3500 a couple of weeks ago... After
> firing up my 4000/90, I'm now thinking that it's partly a problem that
> 16M of memory just is way too little to run NetBSD as well.

  That figures.

  NetBSD really has turned into a bloated pig over the past decade or
so.  Maybe even a little earlier than that.

> However, running on a simulated 8650 at least seems to have revealed
> some kind of issue if you were to have more than 64M in one 86x0.
> Unfortunately, I don't have quite that much in the real machine, so I
> can't verify this on real hardware, but using simh, VMS works fine with
> 512M while NetBSD goes wrong somewhere when you have more than 64M.
> Since NetBSD works ok on my 4000/90 with more memory, it must be
> something related to things early in the boot process, me thinks. I'm
> going to look at it soon, unless someone beats me to it.
> 
> I also have a bunch of uncommitted 86x0 stuff that I should try to send in.

  Well, get to it, man! ;)  I expect there will eventually be a fork of
NetBSD that will trim the fat and make it more usable.  Testing on
older, slower hardware would go a long way toward "keeping it honest".

            -Dave

-- 
Dave McGuire, AK4HZ
New Kensington, PA