Hi Feico!

On Wed, 18 Feb 1998 dillema@acm.org wrote:

> 
> Hi All,
> 
> I'd like some info. I'm new to NetBSD/pmax and don't know a lot about the 
> hardware of these machines either, but checked the FAQ and Web-pages.
> Couldn't find an answer to the following question:
> 
> Can NetBSD/pmax be used on a DECstation without framebuffer, with console
> on the serial-port e.g.? 
Yes, it should. I tried it with a machine like this, buit i have a 
framebuffer installed into it.
I think it has at least the framebuffer hardwired on the system board.
There is a variable to be set in the environment, described in the 
manual, but be careful that the settings of the terminal correspond with
the settings of the machine.
NetBSD should then be able to boot, leaving the eventually installed 
framebuffer alone.

>         Somebody I know stated that NetBSD won't boot
> without a supported framebuffer. Could one of you give me an update
> on that. We'd like to use a DECstation with NetBSD for a WWW-server
> (their framebuffers are not supported by NetBSD, I understood) so
> don't need X-support for these machines.

The framebuffer per se is supported in a way to display console messages 
on it. There are rumors that one can use X on the MAXINE.
Installation notes say that X can run on certain framebuffers upon NetBSD.
I'll know more when i had some time to play around with the machine again,
and I think I'll get X running on it, but never tried by now.

Greetings,
Reinhold Huber