Re: NetBSD/vax current

[Mouse <mouse%Rodents-Montreal.ORG@localhost>]

[bqt]
> Trying to just build a kernel on the 11/785 will take an estimated
> two weeks.  Really.

What version?  -current?  I'm not surprised.  I remember how
disappointed I was back around 4.something, I think it was, that i386
couldn't practically self-host in (IIRC) 32MB because it paged itself
to death building the compiler.

I somehow doubt it's gotten any better (though for all I know VAX might
not be as bad as i386 in that regard).

[mcguire]
> NetBSD really has turned into a bloated pig over the past decade or
> so.  Maybe even a little earlier than that.

It has.  Some of that is functionality - but a lot isn't.

> I expect there will eventually be a fork of NetBSD that will trim the
> fat and make it more usable.  Testing on older, slower hardware would
> go a long way toward "keeping it honest".

It would.  It did with NetBSD, for a while.

[mcguire replying to someone else, if I'm reading things right]
>> Question is if anyone have the time, energy and money for that to
>> happen?
> Well, we'll see.  Enough people want it.  It's not like it actually
> costs any money...just time and motivation.  Money can just free up
> time and generate motivation. ;)

Mostly true.  (Running VAXen does cost money, the more for the larger
machines, unless the electricity is somehow free - which can happen, eg
during the heating season for those who heat with electricity.)

I've got the desire, certainly, and have a git repo with my fork of
1.4T (git://git.rodents-montreal.org/Mouse/netbsd-fork/1.4T/src), but
haven't put any of my VAXen back together after my latest move, and my
KA630 emulator is still stuck failing to POST because I need to make
sending characters to the console take time.

And now, between the new job and the new gf, my spare time budget is
completely shot anyway.  Not that I'd give either one up - well, maybe
the job - but even if I consider them worth the price, it's still a
price.

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