*BSD News Article 12697


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From: thinman@netcom.com (Technically Sweet)
Newsgroups: comp.os.386bsd.development
Subject: Re: 3C501 Ether driver, XS3+codrv
Message-ID: <1993Mar10.213242.423@netcom.com>
Date: 10 Mar 93 21:32:42 GMT
References: <1993Mar2.114020@sun6.lri.fr> <1993Mar5.132206.15422@gmd.de> <1993Mar9.043947.4016@netcom.com>
Organization: International Foundation for Internal Freedom
Lines: 22

I would suggest instead that you get the simplest possible
console driver and put all the card management issues into
a separate console daemon.  Possibly, the 'screen' program
that manages several text banks.  Then, create a screen
painting library that the daemon exports which sets the
screen type to graphics or text, switches screen banks, 
and paints the screen.

My 12 years' experience in Unix kernel work yields several
maxims, I will only bore you with one: if there is a choice
between placing features in the kernel and placing them
in a program, always place them in the program.  Always.
No exceptions.

P.s. another one: don't use badly designed hardware.  
The 3C501 comes to mind.

-- 

Lance Norskog
thinman@netcom.com
Data is not information is not knowledge is not wisdom.