Subject: Re: slashdot on 'OpenBSD Activism Shows Drivers Can Be Freed'
To: None <tech-net@NetBSD.org>
From: David Young <dyoung@pobox.com>
List: tech-net
Date: 11/03/2004 12:01:50
On Wed, Nov 03, 2004 at 12:39:35PM -0500, Miles Nordin wrote:
> >>>>> "dy" == David Young <dyoung@pobox.com> writes:
>     dy> You might ask, why does it matter whether the software
>     dy> interface concealed by the HAL is opened up?
> 
> Fifth, so the radio will work on something besides an i386 PeeCee.
> This is, pretty dramatic from my perspective.  Non-i386 are really in
> a corner wireless-wise right now.

It's not as bad as that: for most (all?) architectures with a PCI/Cardbus
interface that NetBSD supports, there is an ath_hal.o.  Only x86's has
been imported into NetBSD, however.  I will import the macppc one and
test, myself, but I would prefer if someone who has the actual hardware
(port maintainers?) would import the HAL for MIPS and family.

> not that the PRISM driver is particularly regression-free on macppc
> (or hpc*?) either, but it does sorta work, and with ath_hal.o it is
> nearly impossible.  If the trend continues, we will need a whole vm86
> subsystem just to deal with this _hal.o garbage.  ridiculous.

What is wrong with Prism on macppc?  Have you filed a PR?

Dave

-- 
David Young             OJC Technologies
dyoung@ojctech.com      Urbana, IL * (217) 278-3933