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Newsgroups: comp.os.386bsd.misc Path: sserve!newshost.anu.edu.au!munnari.oz.au!hp9000.csc.cuhk.hk!saimiri.primate.wisc.edu!usenet.coe.montana.edu!nate From: nate@cs.montana.edu (Nate Williams) Subject: Re: So you say you want an interim release of 386bsd? (What to do?) Message-ID: <1993Apr23.174333.7879@coe.montana.edu> Sender: usenet@coe.montana.edu (USENET News System) Organization: CS References: <1qvpc9$1e8@agate.berkeley.edu> <1993Apr21.193218.5724@cs.few.eur.nl> <GENE.93A <2109@hcshh.hcs.de> Date: Fri, 23 Apr 1993 17:43:33 GMT Lines: 116 In article <2109@hcshh.hcs.de> hm@hcshh.hcs.de (Hellmuth Michaelis) writes: >I'm a bit confused, as i see it we now have 4 (F O U R) directions in which >386BSD is splitting: > > 1/ - 386BSD 0.1 + patchkit > 2/ - 386BSD 0.1.5 > 3/ - NetBSD > 4/ - 386BSD 0.2 > >1/ is running stable, we are slowly getting things done (patchkit, FAQ, etc) > but the system runs very stable now. The current status of three of the directions are as follows: 386BSD 0.1 + patchkit == 386BSD 0.1.5 => 386BSD 0.2 It is the absolute intention of the 0.1.5 team (all former/current patchkit maintainers plus others), to have 0.1.5 be the entire patchkit, new install tools, updated software (groff, gcc, shared libs). One of the goals of the 0.1.5 effort is to make the 0.1 -> 0.2 transition easier. This interim release has the "Blessing" of Bill. >3/ many of the well known supporters of 1/ switched to NetBSD - so 386BSD 0.1 > + pk lost their support.... > >4/ nothing heard of it but roumors - if it is REALLY so totally different then > perhaps few people will like it. > >I would like something like 386BSD 0.1 + patchkit + shared libs + loadable >device drivers, support from EVERYONE (1/ + 2/ + 3/ + 4/) working in the >same direction of getting a stable (!), standardized (POSIX) operating system >which is not only good for just being an operating system but also for providing >a base for some "real world applications". NetBSD + 386BSD have those goals in mind, but the NetBSD group has no intention on running 0.2, while the 386BSD group has the intention of moving towards 0.2. Until 0.2 is released, most of the fixes in one will apply directly to the other. However, because 0.1 was a step towards 0.2, the NetBSD folks are removing some of those 'features/bugs' from 0.1 and making it look more like 4.3BSD. >If we had 2 directions (one stable release for "work" and one not-so-stable >release for "playing" where getting stable features slowly migrate from play >to work) it would be more understandable. > If I understand Rod correctly, it is his goal to take the stable patches out of ANY work that ANYONE does and apply them to the patchkit. Currently, Chris is planning on doing a different scheme for patching that IS NOT the patchkit, so at this time Rod's work is DIRECTLY appliable to 386BSD as you all know it. However, the NetBSD folks will take Rod's work (if it wasn't from them), and integrate it into NetBSD. It's a win for everyone. As a matter of fact, I know that most of the patchkit stuff is already in the current NetBSD sources. Everyone wins. >Proposal: - merge 0.1.5 and NetBSD into "one" NetBSD. > - provide a patchkit which will people allow to move > from 0.1 + pk to NetBSD > - stop any support for 386BSD 0.1 Problem: Differing goals with regard to 0.2. If Chris wants to provide a set of patches to move from 386BSD to the patchkit, so be it. But Rod is going to be hard to keep up with, since he is already cranking out the next version of the patchkit. :-) There are already MAJOR differences in the configuration mechanism between 386BSD and NetBSD. > >I have the feeling, that all we need is a bit more "official" support - >there is no need for weekly releases but there is a need for coordination, >representation, and "publicity". All of this is volunteer work. No one gets paid to do it. My grades have suffered, my wife has complained, but I do this for fun. You can't expect anything more from people. You aren't going to get anything 'official' from anyone unless you see $$ start flowing. > >As far as i see it, we should learn from Linus being very present in the >linux newgroups, everyone reading it knows about the current status of >linux, whats going on, who's working on what, when to expect the next >release and what it contains. Linus doesn't say much of anything about what's in the next release until it is announced. > What is needed is someone or a group of people who is "seen" by everyone > and who is responsible for a direction and for coordination. And Chris + > friends are much more "seeable" than the creators of 386BSD. You can 'force' anyone to act in a direction. This is a free O.S., intended for research. However, if you have the same goals as someone else, then send them some email and see if they want some help. Beyond that, that's all you can do. In the meantime, I will continue to push towards the goals I see needed, which a large part of is the interim release. If you are interested in the interim release, send me some email and we can talk. Address for interim release: nate@bsd.coe.montana.edu Nate -- osynw@terra.oscs.montana.edu | Still trying to find a good reason for nate@cs.montana.edu | these 'computer' things. Personally, work #: (406) 994-4836 | I don't think they'll catch on - home #: (406) 586-0579 | Don Hammerstrom