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Path: euryale.cc.adfa.oz.au!newshost.carno.net.au!harbinger.cc.monash.edu.au!munnari.OZ.AU!news.ecn.uoknor.edu!news.wildstar.net!newsfeed.direct.ca!nntp.portal.ca!news.bc.net!arclight.uoregon.edu!super.zippo.com!zdc!szdc!szdc-e!news From: "John S. Dyson" <dyson@freebsd.org> Newsgroups: comp.unix.bsd.freebsd.misc Subject: Re: Info on what is planned for 3.0? Date: Fri, 20 Dec 1996 19:32:30 -0500 Organization: John S. Dyson's home machine Lines: 42 Message-ID: <32BB301E.41C67EA6@freebsd.org> References: <584qq1$lqe$1@nntpd.lkg.dec.com> <32B8A692.41C67EA6@freebsd.org> <E2oGJB.ICG@nonexistent.com> <32B9E4D7.41C67EA6@freebsd.org> <59ev97$6f3@dewey.udel.edu> Mime-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset=us-ascii Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit X-Mailer: Mozilla 3.01 (X11; I; FreeBSD 3.0-CURRENT i386) Xref: euryale.cc.adfa.oz.au comp.unix.bsd.freebsd.misc:32932 Jerry Alexandratos wrote: > > : > :I suspect that the X86 will still be the predominant FreeBSD > :architecture for > :the next couple of years, but I really do think that the Alpha will be > :somewhere > :in there also. > > What about the PowerPC? Does FreeBSD foresee it in it's future? It > would be nice to be able to do something useful with a Macintoy. 8) > I would be kind-of interested in PPC also. I think that FreeBSD needs to emphasize only a few platforms (NetBSD has the multi-platform niche.) I could imagine perhaps 3 platforms on FreeBSD at most. Of course, over time those platforms would shift as needed. Certainly, I am not the one that decides on which platform FreeBSD runs -- it is the user-base who does the porting. As a FreeBSD core team member, and one of the developers/maintainers of the base OS, I will support those that bona-fide port FreeBSD to a viable platform with as much time as I can give. With my FreeBSD hat off, and my personal opinion, it appears that the P5/P6/P? are still the predominant small system platforms. I think that PPC MIGHT have bigger numbers than Alpha, but Alpha looks right now to have the brighter future. There appears to be a small movement to do an R4XXX port, but not sure how far along that is really going to go. I do know that the core team would jump quickly on an Alpha port, right now, if finances allowed. I think that we want to stay focused and do a few platforms really well (perhaps continuing with our performance and stability emphasis.) Net/Open BSD will continue to be the multi-platform kings, and we'll continue to be into the productization, stability, and performance realms on a few architectures. I have lamented at times as to what would happen if Free/Net/Open BSDs would be funded as a consortium. Yow'ee it'd be the best OS ever made with the advantages (emphasis/expertise) from each group. John dyson@freebsd.org