> > I was looking at the SETI@Home statistics today and noticed a high number
> > of SunOS systems participating, and the thought struck me - why aren't
> > these people running NetBSD instead? We're better, right? Modern TCP/IP
> > stack, 64-bit clean FFS, and so on. I bet they're just not aware of us.
> > 
> Some of the reasons many people still use 4.1.4 is, for example:
> 
> - NetBSD support for hardware is missing (4/400, prestoserve etc...)
> - NetBSD can't use multiCPU machines at all.
> 
> The above two gives in turn that all machines on a place stays with
> 4.1.4, to have the same OS on all machines.

Isn't SunOS 4.x the last issue with C compilers?  That may have something
to do with it, also.

I would offer, from the dinosaur end of the spectrum, that NetBSD
just does not have the right support on the OLD machine hardware.
For example, none of my VME suns can run NetBSD, because the tape
drivers basically won't, although they try.  In particular, NetBSD
really needs an MD and an MT driver for the old hardware.  The MD
and MT controllers off an SI or SC controller were the basic issue
Sun equipment.  NetBSD just won't go on those, in my hands.  IFF
anyone knows how to make them run, or knows of drivers to make them
run, I would like to lay hands upon same.  It is oh, so close, yet
oh, so far.....  Alas, I am not the best C programmer, and am a little
short on time, although maybe this winter some time will free up to
try to make them work.  I can yank the MD controller, and drop in a
direct scsi drive, and get it to install, but the tape is still
not workable, after installation on NetBSD-1.4 on the SI controllers.
How does one get a tape to properly work on those and still mount in
a 12 slot deskside case?

That is why I still run SunOS... (drat!  NetBSD would be so nice!).

(My 3/110, 3/160, 3/260, 4/110, 4/260 crates [all in 12 slot deskside
boxes] would really like to be running NetBSD over Sunos.....(:+{{...)

Bob

(Sorry for cross posting to both sparc and sun3 lists, BUT, the sun4
and sun3 hardware is where I am having the problems.... any insights
are appreciated.)