> I had a problem with booting the netbsd kernel on a
> dell 2600 laptop because it could not recognize the
> pcmcia slot. I fixed it by recompiling the kernel so
> that it didn't look at the pcmcia slot during bootup.
> But IMHO, if the peripheral is non-critical, the
> bootup procedure should not be aborted.[that way we
> won't be forced to use the tiny image].
> thanks

Are you telling me why that check is there, or just supplying a loosely
related anecdote?  (I don't understand.)  Or perhaps you think that I'm
booting GENERIC and are explaining that GENERIC doesn't support any PCMCIA
devices?

I've used GENERIC_LAPTOP (which certainly does probe the PCMCIA slots) and
have a custom config for a 1.6 kernel for my laptop.  But, if I use the
kernel sources as-is for 1.6, this will *not* support my laptop's ethernet
(which, as far as I'm concerned, is a pretty critical device).

1.5.x supported the device with no apparent problems over the past year.
It looks (so far) as if a one-line hack to defeat a (backwards?) test in
the ne driver makes the card work with the 1.6 driver.


  ``I probably don't know what I'm talking about.'' --rauch@math.rice.edu