Subject: Re: first tipps to begin with a z50
To: None <port-hpcmips@netbsd.org>
From: Bernd Sieker <bsieker@rvs.uni-bielefeld.de>
List: port-hpcmips
Date: 12/19/2005 19:05:26
On 19.12.05, 09:42:53, Svend Sorensen wrote:
> 
> The install kernel is under the install directory on the CD (it is
> ./hpcmips/installation).  For 2.1, the files are the same as the ones
> here: ftp://ftp.netbsd.org/pub/NetBSD/NetBSD-2.1/hpcmips/installation/
> 
> You want to boot the netbsd.gz file.

It includes the memory disk that contains sysinst and all necessary tools
for installation. Just as on i386.

> They show up on eBay once in a while, but they aren't cheap.

Depends on how you define it. Admittedly it's been 4 years, but
afair I only paid some $23 for the memory expansion kit from
Kingston, which works perfectly.

I just installed 3.0_RC5 on a 2GB CF card it works fine. There are
some issues with X, e. g. I cannot get xdm to manage the local
display, and starting an xsession from the console takes agaes,
and sometimes leaves the Xserver hanging after terminating the
session.

Once running, X works fine. I also use a PRISM2.5-based WLAN card
and use leaf-tunnel encruption with IPSEC/racoon.

I'm typing this on the z50's splendid keyboard while the machine
is compiling the necessary packages I will need (TeX, ghostview,
and some others.) As far as I can tell, there is no really very
good web browser for it. lynx will work fine, as will dillo, and
links in text-mode, but they are somewhat restricted.  links-gui
will also work, but at least on my previous installation (NetBSD-1.6.2)
it made extensive use of FPU-instructions, which need to be emulated
on the z50, and took some 7 minutes to start up, pre-rendering the
antialiased fonts. Once up and running, it was ok to use, although
thanks to its aggressive caching strategies I could not use it with
sites that require authentication of some kind, like ebay.

I heard someone was building minimoz (stripped-down mozilla browser)
for NetBSD/hpcmips, but I don't know if that is easy to build and/or
is widely available. That one would probably be the best, but may
still be a pain to use with only 16MB.


Cheers,
Bernd

-- 
Bernd Sieker

NetBSD - free yourself from all Stallmanist thought!
		-- Julian Assange