Re: NetBSD-5, snapshot or head?

["Thomas Mueller" <mueller6724%bellsouth.net@localhost>]

> The NetBSD 5.1 release is 1 year old. What iso do you
> advise to install for a new system, NetBSD-5,
> daily snapshot or head?
 
> Do you have any experiences in terms of "usability"
> following the NetBSD-head for i386?
 
> I'd planning to install it on an old laptop for
> desktop and some development (Python).
> I'm much more interested on features
> instead of stability (I can tolerate some issue).
         
> Do the new features in head are often back ported
> to NetBSD-5-1? Or again, do the head is stable enough
> for daily use?
         
> Thank you.
 
> All the best,
> Luca.
        
NetBSD gained read-write support for Linux ext2fs subsequent to 5.1 release.  
This support was included in 5.1_STABLE and current (head).

So the only two possibilities are NetBSD-5 and head snapshots.

But I have a screen-blanking problem.  With 5.1_STABLE, screen goes blank after 
30 seconds, and I have to type, with screen not functioning, from a root 
commkand prompt,

screenblank -u

In order to be able to go into X, I need to have VESA framebuffer enabled in 
the kernel.  

But still, when going into X and subsequently returning to text mode, screen 
remains dark in both 5.1_STABLE and HEAD.  I can get back a semi-usable screen 
with no cursor with vbetool in 5.1_STABLE but not HEAD.

So NetBSD is only marginally usable on my older (i386) computer.

FreeBSD 8.2 didn't have these problems.

On my newer computer (Intel Sandy Bridge chipset), I had even less luck with 
NetBSD 5.1_STABLE and HEAD.

I got 5.1_STABLE to boot, installed on a USB stick, but it immediately rebooted 
when I tried to go into X.  HEAD would always hang on trying to boot.

When FreeBSD 9.0-BETA1 was released, I went for that; now I have no NetBSD at 
all on the new computer hard disk.

Tom