jkh@meepmeep.pcs.com (Jordan K. Hubbard) (01/11/91)
You're assuming that the software folks are all working along similar lines. Our work here has two thrusts: One is to finish the new monitor that incorporates zmodem downloading, automatic header stripping (I.E. you don't have to prep executable files before downloading, the magic number will be recognised for bruce execs or gld execs and the proper number of bytes ignored), remote gdb support, memory diagnostics, etc. The guy doing the gdb support (Gary) is on vacation, but most of the other stuff is done. This code we plan to release. The second thrust is to port BSD, which we cannot release for licensing reasons. Thus we've kept quiet about it. I think a number of people are pursuing similar goals and for legal reasons cannot share the profits of their labour. This is a pity. The FSF kernel is in its usual state of non-existance, the OSF 1 snapshot is now being released only to AT&T source license holders and Mt Xinu's MSD 1.6 requires both AT&T and BSD licenses. Even Minix isn't all that practical since many of us are unable to get ahold of it. I paid my $250 (125 pounds sterling) almost 7 months ago to Prentice Hall (U.K.) and will probably never get ahold of it (or my money back) on account of the fact that these folks are terminally braindead. After sending me the wrong merchandise (which I sent back at my own expense), they proceeded to lose all track of my order. After about six phone calls on my part, each time requiring some new and interesting form of postal documentation on their part, I'm about ready to give up. Given similar horror stories floating around in comp.os.minix, I don't think Minix is all that viable an option for everyone either, further widening the shared effort gap. Suggestions? Jordan
taylor@Think.COM (David Taylor) (01/11/91)
<From: Per Andersson <admin.kth.se!perand@ames.UUCP> <Date: Thu, 10 Jan 91 23:56:16 +0100 < BSD 4.4 will also have a redistributable NFS if <my ears haven't misheard. You haven't misheard. The 4.4BSD NFS is part of the 4.3BSD-Reno distribution and, in fact, is part of the collection of files that are freely redistributable -- they're in the archives on uunet. David -- David Taylor taylor@think.com, ...{ames,bloom-beacon,harvard}!think!taylor