[rescue] best NetBSD support

[Greg A. Woods]

[ On Monday, June 17, 2002 at 13:06:46 (-0500), Eric Dittman wrote: ]
> Subject: Re: [rescue] best NetBSD support
>
> > > A good example is the VAX port.  While it works on most systems,
> > > it does damage VAXstation 4000/90s.  NetBSD/VAX on the 4000/90
> > > should be explicitly disabled until this bug is fixed, but instead
> > > the bug is still there, damaging 4000/90s.  I've even seen people
> > > say that NetBSD runs on 4000/90s without mentioning the problem.
> > 
> > People claim it runs on such machines without problems because that is
> > their experience.
> 
> People run it in spite of the problem.  Check GoogleGroups and
> you'll see that this is a known bug.  Once you are bitten, though,
> a mainboard replacement is your only option.

I read the lists -- I've followed the debate on the problem.  It's not
nearly so black&white as you suggest.

> I doubt most of the developers can afford to have the motherboard
> replaced once the firmware is corrupted.

Well given that such machines are often given away free....

In any case the intelligent developer will simply replace the firmware,
not the entire "motherboard" or machine....

> > In the mean time NetBSD explicitly comes with no warrantee -- buyer beware!
> 
> The problem isn't that NetBSD doesn't have a warrantee, the
> problem is people aren't warned about the bug ahead of time,
> even though it is a known problem.

"buyer beware" means you'll research these issues yourself before you
commit to doing anything and that you won't whine about problems after
the fact.  Ignorance is no excuse.

If this bug were reported to the NetBSD GNATS database them perhaps more
volunteers would be able to work on it.  As is the only 4000/90 PR in
the entire database is #9669 titled "vs4000/90 will not boot" and it was
closed with the following details:

 >Audit-Trail:                                                                  
 State-Changed-From-To: open->closed                                            
 State-Changed-By: ragge                                                        
 State-Changed-When: Fri Mar 24 11:39:53 PST 2000                               
 State-Changed-Why:                                                             
 This isn't a bug; the 4000/90 isn't supported in the 1.4.x releases.           
 It it in -current, though.                                                     

-- 
								Greg A. Woods

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