From: dgreen@sti.com (Dan R. Greening) Subject: Re: Linux or 386BSD? Date: 8 Feb 1993 20:14:41 GMT
maniac@unlv.edu (Eric J. Schwertfeger) wrote:
>In article <1kv7e4INNc8h@smurf.sti.com> dgreen@sti.com (Dan R. Greening) writes:
>>Actually, it is somewhat annoying to see uninformative "try both" replys.
>>Doesn't anyone have an honest opinion? It takes days to boot both,
>
>Just out of curiosity, why is that? I got linux up in under an hour.
Because I had to download the software onto disks myself. This was
because Linux didn't support my network card in its default configuration.
(Actually at the time I tried booting Linux, it didn't support my network
card at all...seems to now, though.)
One advantage of 386BSD is that it has built in support for three common
ethernet cards in its "one-floppy OS": NE1000/NE2000 and WD mumble. I have
an NE2000 (actually I have access to about 30 machines, all of which use
NE1000 or NE2000). I guess Linux does have support for the NE2000 now, but I
still have to compile it (the binaries only include support for WD right
now, as far as I know), which means I still have to download the software
on floppies instead of through the network. I don't look forward to that.
When my laptop comes in, I'll probably try Linux again, but I'm still
going to have to shove in at least 10 floppies as far as I can tell.
386BSD was also hard, but that was because the FAQ did not document that
IRQ 9 == IRQ 2, and so I bashed my head against the wall for several hours
trying to figure out a) how to switch my NE2000 to IRQ 9 (impossible) or
b) how to recompile the kernel to put the NE2000 at IRQ 2. I hate asking
the network for stuff, but in frustration I finally did it, and received
several helpful remarks that IRQ 9 == IRQ 2. This should definitely be
in the 386BSD install guide, and it is not.
Once I got the message about IRQ 2/9, booting 386BSD was trivial because
I could throw away all those stupid floppy disks and use the network.
The Linux part was more abortive, because at the time there was no support
for my net card, and while I could boot it up after loading 10 floppies, it
was pretty much useless to me without ethernet.
Commercial software manufacturers have gone through this process: you
start out giving people stuff that they have to tweak, compile, etc. And
then you discover that they dislike the software. So all the old hands
try to "stupidify" the installation process. It is that crucial early
install period which determines whether someone will follow through with
using it and liking it. 386BSD has a very good "stupid person" install
process, especially if you have access to ethernet, except for that one
ridiculous omission of IRQ 2/9 documentation. My impressions of Linux
install was that it was harder.
These are my comments as a relative newbie. The non-newbie-ism is that
I *am* a fairly well-qualified UNIX system administrator. I current
maintain 4 very different UNIX operating systems: SunOS, HPUX, UnixWare,
and Ultrix, with most of the GNU stuff on each. Some problems likely came
from my not understanding PC hardware bizarrities very well, and because
the binaries for Linux didn't support my ethernet card.
As parochial as Diamond is about its card, my Linux experience gives me
some sympathy for those with politically incorrect VGA drivers. I started
looking in PC magazines for a decent hardware system and Diamond Stealth
cards dominate the high-end market. I could imagine others having the same
problems I had with my NE2000 card. Politically correct or not, deliberate
non-support of Diamond cards will likely have the effect of pushing people
toward a commercial Unix system--or not adopting Unix at all. The whole
idea of shoving people toward Microsoft Windows curdles my blood. There is
a herd of people all using the most mediocre operating system known to man.
It appalls me, because it is so unnecessary. I once wrote a multitasking
operating system for the 80186 with device drivers, all by my lonesome.
It is ridiculous that Bill Gates is making billions off the uninspired
MS-DOS and its ugly extension, MS Windows.
That seems more critical: the anti-Diamond attitude is getting in the way
of promoting a beautiful alternative to MS Windows.
I guess that's my summary.
-- ____ \ /Dan Greening Software Transformation 1601 Saratoga-Sunnyvale Rd, #100 \/dgreen@sti.com (408) 973-8081 x313 Cupertino, CA 95014