Subject: Re: RiscOS 2000 show report
To: Mike Pumford <mpumford@mpc-data.co.uk>
From: David Brownlee <abs@netbsd.org>
List: port-arm32
Date: 10/26/2000 22:50:14
On Tue, 24 Oct 2000, Mike Pumford wrote:
> > - Patch to avoid RiscOS 4 NVRAM corruption (PR:8759)
> > Dave Daniels submitted a patch to enable NetBSD to
> > update the NVRAM checksum (required for RiscOS 4).
> > If anyone out is running RiscOS 3.{5,6,7} can they please
> > test this patch to confirm it does not affect them?
> > If we get rapid enough response we should be able to get
> > this into the 1.5 release.
> >
> I can test this at the weekend. Is there anything specific that needs
> to be checked?
>
Set something that is stored in the NVRAM, boot NetBSD, type
reboot and check the setting is still there :)
> > - !BtRiscBSD
> > - Can people confirm if the RiscOS4 fixed version of !BtRiscBSD
> > also works under 3.5, 3.6, and 3.7?
> >
> Again I can try this at the weekend.
>
That would be incredibly helpful - we should them be able to get
them both into 1.5.
> > - !BtRiscBSD defaults to 1024x768 - users with monitors unable
> > to display that resolution need to exit a config file to
> > run - that should be fixed.
> > - The number of supported resolutions should be expanded.
>
> IIRC it is still picked up by the kernel. I suspect it could be
> removed. The default for !BtRiscBSD should be 640x480@60Hz this will be
> safe for almost any RiscPC/A7000 class machine which were shipped with
> SVGA monitors. The mode support is actually compiled into the kernel at
> boot time.
>
Is there any way that !BtRiscBSD could just query the current
settings and pass them onto the kernel? (Obviously with an
option to override to a specific value).
I agree for 1.5 we should probably default to something safe.
> I have a 1.5ALPHA2 RiscPC which could be left building a chunk of
> packages if someone drops me a list. I keep prodding at mozilla from
Anything you think would be useful for people - obvious would
be kde, emacs, gnome, anything in x11 and games :)
> time to time. I have modified the ARMLinux assembler stubs required for
> xptcall but I have never been totally satisfied that I have got them
> right. If someone wants to have a shot I'm happy to pass them on.
Charles recently updated gcc and the mozilla package to get
it working on NetBSD/sparc and NetBSD/macppc. Those are both
ELF systems, so I'm sure that some magic will be different from
arm32 a.out (in addition to the assembler magic).
> > - hardware/software support
> > - We need people to test their ide, scsi, and other cards
> > under 1.5 and report back what works and does not.
>
> I have already submitted a PR (with a patch) to make the Acorn SCSI
> card work in 1.5. IIRC the patch has not been applied in current or on
> the 1.5 branch yet.
>
We will have to work on that :)
> The machine also has a Simtec IDE interface and i-cubed Etherlan 600
> Network card which both work just fine.
>
Thanks.
> > - We should approach more hardware vendors for samples and
> > documentation.
>
> Indeed. It would be nice to get in touch with the people producing
> newer RISC OS machines so that NetBSD can be ported to them as and when
> they are released.
As Chris mentioned this is definitely on our list :)
David/absolute
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