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From: kirk@brains.GUN.de (Thomas Weyergraf)
Subject: Re: NetBSD Hardware Project
Message-ID: <1994Oct6.015737.1868@brains.GUN.de>
Organization: Brains - We don't have it
X-Newsreader: TIN [version 1.1 PL6]
References: <CwJnKs.5nC@hermes.hrz.uni-bielefeld.de>
Date: Thu, 6 Oct 1994 01:57:37 GMT
Lines: 74
Carsten Hammer (chammer@hrz.uni-bielefeld.de) wrote:
:
: Hi,
: as my computer isnt fast (new) enough any longer i would like to
: know what cheap platforms are there with a future with NetBSD.
: I am interested in people who are willing to contribute in a
: project to build a NetBSD computer around a MPC601 or similar.
: Are there any people with the knowledge and the time to help.
: I would do coordination and prototyping.
I thought about this idea as well some time ago, when i first read about
NetBSD being portet to other architectures. Since I don't know what the
platform of choice would be in the BSD ( I will use the term BSD instead
of Free/NetBSD deliberately to avoid discussions of what should be
used as the base OS ), I can only comment on what could be done from my
perspective.
1. The CPU used
I started off with thinking about SPARC. There are several reasons, why
this would be a good choice from my perpective:
- SPARC Chips are available. You can buy them from several places
like TI, ROSS, Fujitsu
- Chipsets are available thru STB and others
- There is a lot of knowledge to build SPARC machines outside of SUN/SMCC
- A decent Boot-monitor is available ( also STB, it's the OBP )
- A large amount of software works has been done on SPARC already
( see NetBSD SPARC )
To my opinion, these are good arguments, when it comes to defining a platform.
Also, a fair amount of manufacturers could be contacted, in order to
receive support in development and manufacturing.
Of course, I know the SPARC world best :-)
What I could provide pretty straight away:
1. Help in setting up the logistics to get the project through it's early
stages of planning and design.
2. Contact SPARC clone maufacturers, that could be interested in manufacturing
the beast, as well as design and prototyping.
3. Provide access to the chipsets and the CPU ( I do this anyway - I make my
living out of that ).
4. establish sales channels
5. Try to get funding ( which is not that unimportant at all :-)
If there is serious interest, my company would contribute.
If this turns out to be a serious effort to make a BSD reference platform
happen, I am willing to contribute a serious amount of time.
I have been in the SPARC/clone business for quite some time in very various
positions and may claim some experience. I must admit, that I don't have the
same qualification or contacts on other architectures, so I am limited on
that behalf from my perspective. But if this is going to be SPARC, I am here.
I do have a platform scetch already, but before I can present this thing, I
have to check my NDA status here.
Those, willing to discuss this seriously, are very welcome to email me.
Please do not flame me, if you have whatever objections to my statements
above. Serious emails will get response, flames will meet my /dev/null.
Disclaimer: To settle this straight away: I run a company, which is selling
SPARC CPU's ( currently ) and accompanying chipset solutions. Despite this
fact, I very much like the idea, to have a platform that reflects more the
needs of a UNIX in general, then the current PC stuff does. Yet this platform
has to be competitive in price and performance, a demand which will be
very, very hard to fulfill.
If you are interested, please contact me at my ( private ) email adress:
kirk@brains.GUN.de ( Thomas Weyergraf )
Sincerely,
Thomas Weyergraf
--
---
kirk@brains.GUN.de Thomas Weyergraf
NT = NinTendo ???