[SunRescue] Q on "optimal" OS for Sun4c machines, now that Solaris 8 won't run

[DaveMcGuiremcguire at neurotica.com]

On July 11, Ken Hansen wrote:
[OSs dropping support for 4c machines]
>     I am concerned that other OSs may drop support, following Suns lead...

  This will only happen on commercial OSs.  They do it for a simple
reason...the sun4c machines aren't ready to "die" yet.  There are
thousands upon thousands of them out there doing the same jobs they
were doing nearly ten years ago.  Sun wants them all to go away so
that those people will (they assume) go buy new Ultras.  It's called
"Forced obsolescence".  In other words, commercial OSs
Unix and the other commercial OSs out there) are profit
vehicles...products, like any other, designed to make money.

  The free operating systems, on the other hand, are purely
functionality-driven.  They don't arbitrarily drop support for
hardware because that *removes functionality*.  The NetBSD/sparc
folks, for example, will ENCOURAGE you to use that old SS2 sitting in
the corner...not tell you to "throw that old trash away, buy a new
Ultra!" like Sun will.

  Use your sun4c machine, Ken.  Don't stop using it until it can no
longer do the job.  Run a free OS on it and you'll always have a
useful machine.


           -Dave McGuire