NetBSD 9.1(blog.netbsd.org)
blog.netbsd.org
NetBSD 9.1
https://blog.netbsd.org/tnf/entry/netbsd_9_1_released
4 comments
Anyone here running NetBSD on their Amiga?
I used to run NetBSD on all kinds of 68k based VME bus cards, and would occasionally do builds for a friends Amiga. I think he had a 33MHz '030 upgrade, so the 50Mhz '060 was quite a speed bump. The Amiga was cooler, tho. Still have a bunch of the VME kit.
Funny you should ask that - after reading the above release info, I went down a rabbit hole looking at the m68k release and seeing if there was more Amiga info - I found a short youtube of a guy booting NetBSD on his Amiga, but nothing major beyond that. Looks like you need a full 68k CPU (not an EC version) and a lot of ram - which most stock Amigas don't have. I'd love to give it a go tho - I've got the hardware.
Not on an Amiga but I do run it on a Macintosh.
In my experience the 68k branches tend to be pretty far behind in packages on the repositories. So, you'd be forced to compile a lot of stuff yourself to get much mileage. Given that you're already running the PC equivalent of a rusted out CJ-7, maybe that's just fine.
I keep meaning to help with the pkg repositories. Some part of me thinks it would be relaxing.
I keep meaning to help with the pkg repositories. Some part of me thinks it would be relaxing.
A lot of packages use autoconf which is really slow on a 68k machine.
"PC equivalent of a rusted out CJ-7"
heh nice
heh nice
I used to have a Apple Centris 610 that ran NetBSD/mac68k. I got it as a side-effect of some horse-trading in the late '90s/early 2000s and I wanted another UNIX box to play with, so it seemed perfectly reasonable at the time. It was a 68LC040 model so I couldn't do A/UX on it without a CPU swap, and IIRC neither Linux/m68k nor mkLinux supported the hardware at the time, making NetBSD the only practical choice without spending money. It was a quirky little machine, and I destroyed it repeatedly trying things, but that means it did its job well.
I was recently working out using NetBSD 5.1 (..the last version that could be booted to a usable shell from only two floppies) to image the hard drive of an old Pre-USB laptop I picked up for a dumb retrocomputing project.
(The beginning of that project burbled up on HN a few months ago: A ThinkPad 560E because I want a fully supported period-correct machine to run OpenStep/Rhapsody on. I'm backing up the original Windows95 install by DDing the drive to a virtual SCSI disc on a SCSI2SD, plugged in to an Adaptec SlimSCSI 1460D PCMCIA SCSI Adapter. Both because getting the HD out of a 560 chassis is a pain, and because I set myself a "don't physically open the machine" conduct challenge for sport).
Having a tiny, absolutely consistent little UNIX that can just do things like the above because it supports a staggering array of hardware is really pretty delightful.
I was recently working out using NetBSD 5.1 (..the last version that could be booted to a usable shell from only two floppies) to image the hard drive of an old Pre-USB laptop I picked up for a dumb retrocomputing project.
(The beginning of that project burbled up on HN a few months ago: A ThinkPad 560E because I want a fully supported period-correct machine to run OpenStep/Rhapsody on. I'm backing up the original Windows95 install by DDing the drive to a virtual SCSI disc on a SCSI2SD, plugged in to an Adaptec SlimSCSI 1460D PCMCIA SCSI Adapter. Both because getting the HD out of a 560 chassis is a pain, and because I set myself a "don't physically open the machine" conduct challenge for sport).
Having a tiny, absolutely consistent little UNIX that can just do things like the above because it supports a staggering array of hardware is really pretty delightful.
Similarly, in the '90s I had a second-hand Mac IIsi (with a second hard drive stuffed in place of the floppy) as a poor man's UNIX workstation. Later I worked my way through various other second-hand workstations (VAX, MIPS, Alpha) all running NetBSD.
I like that the NetBSD user-community has now a friendly and pretty looking forum on https://www.unitedbsd.com/
[deleted]
Fell in love with NetBSD seeing it work perfectly on my Sega Dreamcast (you could buy a keyboard and a mouse for it). Internet and all...
So, after reading your comment I was wondering: Why do that?
I found these links:
https://mail-index.netbsd.org/port-dreamcast/2002/01/27/0004...
https://mail-index.netbsd.org/port-dreamcast/2002/01/26/0004...
https://mail-index.netbsd.org/port-dreamcast/2002/01/27/0011...
The last one is the one I liked most, which is basically:
> To write video games.
I wonder if there are really people interested enough to do that, though.
I found these links:
https://mail-index.netbsd.org/port-dreamcast/2002/01/27/0004...
https://mail-index.netbsd.org/port-dreamcast/2002/01/26/0004...
https://mail-index.netbsd.org/port-dreamcast/2002/01/27/0011...
The last one is the one I liked most, which is basically:
> To write video games.
I wonder if there are really people interested enough to do that, though.
I have yet to get mine working. I got a GDEMU and then upon taking my DC apart realized I had the wrong model. Also have a PS2 trackball and PS2->DC kb/mouse adapter.