RiscBSD: UNIX for the Risc PC
Mirza Manar Hussain
Hi all.
It's been a while since I last posted anything about RiscBSD, so I
thought I'd bring the situation up to date.
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The RiscBSD project is about bringing an ARM based UNIX onto
the Risc PC platform. We fully support the idea of UNIX on
the older machines, and of a UNIX on a second processor in
a Risc PC (one of core team members is responsible for the
LINUX work for the 486 card!). However, our objective is to
produce the best ARM native UNIX we can for the Risc PC.
If you would like to become involved in some way, then mail
me at m...@doc.ic.ac.uk
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1) We have settled on a base of BSD4.4 - probably the NetBSD
flavour.
2) The support ftp site is currently phlim.ph.kcl.ac.uk. Some
docs are already there in pub/acorn/kate. We also plan to have
some Web pages up in the not too distant future. These servers
will no doubt improve with time - bear with us!
3) We hold E-meeting every week. The next e-meeting will be on
Wednesday, 7.15 pm. As before, you can get to this by telnetting
into tcws-12.brunel.ac.uk 1863. They normally last am hour plus.
You should be able to talk me at m...@oak10.doc.ic.ac.uk at that
time should there be any problems getting through. Or irc onto
the acorn channel at that time.
4) A fair amount of the technical information needed to complete
this project will involve NDAs (non-disclosure agreements). Hence
there will be a core team, who will sign NDAs, closely associated
with the project and reaponsible for the core of the kernel.
If you want to be closely involved with the guts of the kernel or
other low-level work that will need NDAs please turn up to the
e-meeting the day after tommorrow or email me.
Many thanX
Manar
--
Manar Hussain - 127d Holland Road, London. W14 8AS. (071) 602 6324
An Internet site coming your way soon from Internet Vision Ltd.
We're always looking for new ideas/people - and customers too ;-).
Simon Lockhart
m...@doc.ic.ac.uk (Mirza Manar Hussain) writes:
>It's been a while since I last posted anything about RiscBSD, so I
>thought I'd bring the situation up to date.
I don't think the Arc(h)BSD team has posted very much really, but to provide
a contrast, I'm posting this. (Apologies to Simon and Gary if I say something
I'm not supposed to)
>The RiscBSD project is about bringing an ARM based UNIX onto
>the Risc PC platform. We fully support the idea of UNIX on
>the older machines, and of a UNIX on a second processor in
>a Risc PC (one of core team members is responsible for the
>LINUX work for the 486 card!). However, our objective is to
>produce the best ARM native UNIX we can for the Risc PC.
The ArcBSD project is about bringing an ARM based UNIX onto the full
range of ARM-based acorn machines. We intend to ensure that the code
will be freely available. Although we are primarily working on the older
machines at the moment, we are about to start work on getting what we have
so far working on a Risc PC.
>1) We have settled on a base of BSD4.4 - probably the NetBSD
>flavour.
Eh? BSD4.4 is BSD4.4 as far as I know, there are no flavours of it (yet).
Feel free to correct me if I am wrong.
ArcBSD is based on BSD4.4 code, with no code being introduced from previous
versions (i.e. NetBSD, FreeBSD before v2.0, 386BSD, etc). This is the only
way to prevent there being licensing problems.
>4) A fair amount of the technical information needed to complete
>this project will involve NDAs (non-disclosure agreements). Hence
>there will be a core team, who will sign NDAs, closely associated
>with the project and reaponsible for the core of the kernel.
Hmmmm... Surely signing NDA's means that you will not be able to release
the source code. This, IMHO is a bad situation to get into. As yet, ArcBSD
has not come across any situations where an NDA has been required. All the
information we have required so far has been taken from the Risc OS PRM's, and
manufacturers data sheets.
ArcBSD is getting somewhere. Without saying too much publicly about our
progress (Simon or Gary might divulge more - but don't email them begging
for information), we reckon that we are on course for a very early alpha
release of a running system either towards the end of this year, or early
next year.
What we need now are some people who are able to sit down and write some
device drivers for hard-discs, etc. If you feel that you are able to assist
in this matter, the ArcBSD project could do with hearing from you - send a
brief email explaining what you think you could write to
arc...@slimey.demon.co.uk, and I will forward it to the rest of the team.
(Please keep it brief, as I am on a dialup link)
Sorry, but unless Simon or Gary say something to the contrary, I will not
respond to people just asking for a copy of the code we have so far.
Simon.
--
Simon Lockhart
si...@slimey.demon.co.uk
Andy Mell
: Eh? BSD4.4 is BSD4.4 as far as I know, there are no flavours of it (yet).
: Feel free to correct me if I am wrong.
BSD 4.4 lite I hope?
: ArcBSD is based on BSD4.4 code, with no code being introduced from previous
: versions (i.e. NetBSD, FreeBSD before v2.0, 386BSD, etc). This is the only
: way to prevent there being licensing problems.
Linux is doing well for itself. there are now versions of linux in some form
or other for the PC/Amiga/MIPSR4400. One wonders if an ARM version might be
feasible.
: What we need now are some people who are able to sit down and write some
: device drivers for hard-discs, etc. If you feel that you are able to assist
Well I did offer to write a certain device driver in response to an email from Gary a couple of weeks ago, but heard nothing back...
Andy
Mirza Manar Hussain
|> >1) We have settled on a base of BSD4.4 - probably the NetBSD
|> >flavour.
|>
|> Eh? BSD4.4 is BSD4.4 as far as I know, there are no flavours of it (yet).
|> Feel free to correct me if I am wrong.
Perhaps flavours was a somewhat misleading term.. BSD4.4 lite is a not very
complete but fully PD version. Both NetBSD and FreeBSD are working to migrate
their older versions (which were somewhat dubious on the copyright issue)
onto this. I've got a longish mail I made to the RiscBSD lot a while ago
explaining things a bit - feel free to ask me for it...
|> ArcBSD is based on BSD4.4 code, with no code being introduced from previous
|> versions (i.e. NetBSD, FreeBSD before v2.0, 386BSD, etc). This is the only
|> way to prevent there being licensing problems.
Trying to stay away from the flame war that raged in comp.unix.bsd, I think
it highly unlikely that either FreeBSD 2 or the new NetBSD will have prblems
with their copyright..
|> Hmmmm... Surely signing NDA's means that you will not be able to release
|> the source code. This, IMHO is a bad situation to get into. As yet, ArcBSD
|> has not come across any situations where an NDA has been required. All the
|> information we have required so far has been taken from the Risc OS PRM's, and
|> manufacturers data sheets.
We have no intention other than to have a fully releasable source code. The
problem is more about getting priority on information that hasn't *yet* been
disclosed, or that pertains to future products we'd like to support. This is
mostly a problem because the Risc PC is so new...
|> Simon.
Melvin Tang-Richardson
: Simon Lockhart (si...@slimey.demon.co.uk) wrote:
: : Eh? BSD4.4 is BSD4.4 as far as I know, there are no flavours of it (yet).
: : Feel free to correct me if I am wrong.
: BSD 4.4 lite I hope?
: : ArcBSD is based on BSD4.4 code, with no code being introduced from previous
: : versions (i.e. NetBSD, FreeBSD before v2.0, 386BSD, etc). This is the only
: : way to prevent there being licensing problems.
: Linux is doing well for itself. there are now versions of linux in some form
: or other for the PC/Amiga/MIPSR4400. One wonders if an ARM version might be
: feasible.
Is that a question or a request ??
When we asked, about Linux, noone spoke up and gave us any decent reason to
port it over any other. BSD compatibility was one of the main
reasons for going for
BSD4.4 lite, also that it wasn't a 'tuned' to any particular arcitechure
(open to debate!!(VAX)).
I don't doubt that linux could be ported, although binary compatibiliy
would be pushing it :)
I guess, if people want Linux for their Acorn they can use the PC card
and run Linux on that. I presume this is a much better solution.
: : What we need now are some people who are able to sit down and write some
: : device drivers for hard-discs, etc. If you feel that you are able to assist
: Well I did offer to write a certain device driver in response to an email from Gary a couple of weeks ago, but heard nothing back...
: Andy
---
Nut - RiscBSD Kernel Team - e-mail ee9...@brunel.ac.uk