Subject: Re: sparc station 5-170 (turbo sparc)
To: None <port-sparc@netbsd.org>
From: der Mouse <mouse@Rodents.Montreal.QC.CA>
List: port-sparc
Date: 06/12/2003 14:53:57
> I swear by Net across multiple (well, two at the moment!) platforms;
> if anything nicer than my IA32@1600 happens to cross my path, I'll
> probably install it there, too.

Me too...I've got 8 ports, across 6 cpu architectures, either running
or just needing to be turned on (and in some cases told to boot):
sparc, macppc, vax, i386, alpha, sun3, next68k, mac68k.  And I use the
same source on all of them (with a few exceptions for programs designed
around particular pieces of hardware, such as a few games for the SPARC
which depend on having a cg6 framebuffer).

Great for keeping code portable across hardware differences. :-)

>> As for using PS/2 keyboards and mice, I think you could be out of
>> luck.

> There are converters to be had but they [are expensive]

> Besides, Sun kbs feel good.  The USB model 6s are nice, though I wish
> there were USB model 5s!

*shudder*  The model 5 is...well, I prefer it to a peecee keyboard, but
that's rather like saying I'd rather have my fingers broken than my arm
ripped off.  The type-3 is the last civilized keyboard Sun made, to my
feel.  (Keyboard preferences are almost as good holy-war bait as editor
preferences....)  Fortunately type-3s work fine on more modern machines
with only a passive adapter, one that's easy to make.  (Anything that
can use a type-4 can use a type-3 with an adapter, AFAICT.)

Mind you, I haven't actually tried any USB Sun keyboards.  But given
the direction they were going with the 4 and then the 5, I doubt I'd
care for them.  (Not to mention that I don't have any USB-capable
machines.  I have one with USB onboard, but am lacking the little riser
to bring it out so things can be plugged into it.)

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