Hi, all.

I've got a Mac on which I can run NetBSD again. It's a IIci with twenty
megs of RAM. I'm installing 1.3.2 for starters, and once I'm happy with
it I'll probably get bored and jump it up to -current.

Anyway, I'm writing because of some pain getting NetBSD installed on the
box.

Problem 1: I didn't realise that the mini-shell needed /dev/sdxx to exist
to mount partitions. (I'm using a small root and a large usr.) Easily
worked around, but not obvious from the start, given that the installer
was able to mount root without a device file. <shrug>

Problem 2: Something broke while installing everything. I saw a bunch
of SCSI READ (and WRITE) (something) #5 errors, if I remember correctly,
and the installer ended up being unhappy and going away.

Luckily, enough got installed before the error that I was able to make
sure the kernel and etc sets got in okay and boot into NetBSD, where I'm
now busy doing a "regular" install via tar files snagged over my ethernet.

This made me wonder why NetBSD/mac68k isn't using sysinst. I can't think
of anything Mac-specific that would hinder the port using a custom kernel
or something that loads a memory-based filesystem with all the necessary
tools on it. Given the nature of NetBSD/mac68k, it's conceivable that
support for HFS in sysinst might be useful, since lots of folks will have
the tarballs hanging out on Mac partitions/disks, but this is the only
hurdle I see (assuming there isn't HFS support already! I don't remember
seeing it, though), and it would be worthwhile for folks to be using NetBSD
tools from the start, IMHO. The mostly Maclike interface for installation
and booting won't help newcomers become familiar with NetBSD any more
quickly, and it evidently has problems on its own.

On the "plus" end of things, this is the first time I've ever used the
Mac-side Mkfs utility without having to create a dummy partition to
compensate for its (evidently now fixed) off-by-one problem with seeing
valid partitions. It was close to being a pleasure using the thing. :)
However, a switch to sysinst would obviate the need for both the Installer
and Mkfs, AFAICS.

Later...

PS: The best answer, of course, is "Well... Do it!" And, to that end, I'll
try to do just that, although I'm still very near the bottom of the learning
curve as far as this level of development work is concerned. I think there
are two answers for me: 1) Get a book, or 2) maybe take a class on OS
design somewhere, if I can find one at a reasonably close-by school. (The
first solution would feel better to me, but whatever... Anything that makes
me more useful is worthwhile, I guess.)

-- 
Mason Loring Bliss..mason@acheron.middleboro.ma.us..acheron.dyn.ml.org/mason
"In the drowsy dark cave of the mind dreams build their nest with fragments
  dropped from day's caravan."--Rabindranath Tagore..awake ? sleep : dream;