El JoPe Magnifico <jope@n2h2.com> wrote:

>On Thu, 23 Jul 1998, Bill Studenmund wrote:
>> W/ ext2fs support in the NetBSD kernel, NetBSD could mount some of the
>> Linux partitions. Also, you only need one swap partition. I think they
>> can both share. :-)
>
>Ah, handy tip on the swap partition, which I was wondering about.  Do I
>need to change the swap partition into a BSD partition in Mkfs, if it's
>A/UX (which is all Linux needs) to begin with?  Or does it matter on the
>swap partition?
>
I'll bet the NetBSD Kernel requires the partition flags set identifying 
the partition as SWAP.  If Linux only needs an A/UX SWAP then it doesn't 
use the flags, so it should be able to see and use the NetBSD SWAP.

>Uh... and a no-brainer question: NetBSD uses a ffs file system, right?
>
Yes.

>As soon as the Installer gets the device, it jumps right in and tries to
>mount everything it can (I assume), and then bombs with a mountfs() error,
>which half the time hangs my entire system.  In for a penny, in for a
>pound: Why doesn't the Installer just use the same partition dialogue as
>Mkfs, seeing as they already use the same device dialogue?
>
I believe the Installer uses or tries to use the same lookup scheme as 
the kernel does. It looks for partition types and validates them looking 
at the flags.  Since the Kernel does really have a dialogue with the user 
about selecting partitions for use during boot, making the Installer do 
this could cause a lot of user problems.  The user might be able to do an 
Install but not be able to boot up the finished result.

>And one last question: Think there's any chance of using something akin
>to LILO, the Rhapsody dual-booter, or OpenFirmware for selecting an OS
>at start-up, once MacLinux and MacBSD can both boot without the help of
>MacOS?  Just trying to plan for the future... =)

I certainly hope we don't use OpenFirmware.  Think of all the 68k Macs 
that wouldn't be able to run NetBSD!  There are also a lot of PPC Macs 
that don't have OpenFirmware that may some day be able to use NetBSD.

As for why NetBSD continues to require MacOS to boot from, you might want 
to scan the mailing list archives.  This subject has been discussed a 
number of times in the past.

-bob