*BSD News Article 55783


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From: mogul@pa.dec.com (Jeffrey Mogul)
Newsgroups: comp.unix.bsd.netbsd.misc
Subject: Re: DEC Alpha port of NetBSD
Date: 25 Nov 1995 01:33:26 GMT
Organization: DEC Western Research
Lines: 32
Message-ID: <495rp6$hc7@usenet.pa.dec.com>
References: <491ie8$4tg@taiwan.informatik.uni-rostock.de> <MICHAELV.95Nov23103449@MindBender.HeadCandy.com>
NNTP-Posting-Host: gnomea-fddi.pa.dec.com


As far as I know, Digital has no official policy with respect to
either Linux or NetBSD.

We have contributed support to both efforts.  I was the internal
sponsor for our support of the NetBSD port, which consisted of
donating four fairly well-equipped workstations to CMU, who paid
for the actual port and provided equipment.  I have also helped
a number of NetBSD people obtain technical documentation.

Meanwhile, several other DEC people have been assisting with
the Linux port, in vaguely similar ways (by which I mean that
I have only a vague idea of what these ways are).  I do not
believe this has involved much support from Digital besides
the donation of some equipment (probably representing fewer
total $$ that what we gave to CMU for NetBSD, since the Linux
people got cheaper systems, I think).  However, a number of
DEC people have volunteered their own time to work on the
Linux port.  No accounting for taste :-).

I also have heard that there is some support being provided
to an XFree86 port to Alpha, for both Linux and NetBSD.  Sorry,
I have no additional details.

Digital's main UNIX investment, of course, was/is/will be
for Digital UNIX, and that's the system I use myself (of
course, I don't have to pay for it myself).  My support for
NetBSD has been motivated (in part) because Digital UNIX
is "BSD inside", and I hope that future innovations in NetBSD
will be useful for Digital UNIX.

-Jeff