> cgd also replied (to my suggestion)
> 
> > Gee, too bad that's COMPLETELY DIFFERENT than all other ethernet
> > drivers in the source tree that support multiple media connectors...
> 
> So?  If "it's not done that way elsewhere" becomes a reason to not even
> try it, progress will never happen.  I'm suggesting that as an _idea_,
> something to _experiment_ with, something to be modified and/or
> discarded based on what people find in real use.  If I had any
> opportunity to play with machines that have multiple media capability
> switchable from software, I'd implement something, anything, and
> experiment with it myself.  But my NetBSD/sun3 machine has AUI and
> nothing else, and "my" NetBSD/sparc machine, while I think it has both
> AUI and 10base2, AFAIK can't be software-switched.

Experimentation is great.

However, experiments shouldn't be unleashed on the general NetBSD
community (which consists of many, many people) until they're shown
to be of value.

Operating system developers _have_ to be conservative about the
'experimental' changes that they adopt, because if they aren't,
_very many_ people can be screwed by it.




cgd