FreeBSD-6 fails to install on too many old laptops.

[Julian H. Stacey]

Hi Rainer,
cc mobile@ etc,

> Am 12.06.2007 um 22:29 schrieb Julian H. Stacey:
> > FreeBSD has progressively broken support for 5 of my older laptops.
> > One needs massive time reading manuals etc, only then to fail anyway,
> > getting beyond 4.11.  (Only 1 modern here takes 6.2).
> 
> Mitac Mi-Note 6020.
> It works with 4.10, but wouldn't boot 5 or 6 or even the 7-snapshot I  
> once tried.

> c) I also run FreeBSD on servers. I'd rather like developers to spend  
> their limited time on getting it to work better on the latest server- 
> hardware and on newer laptops (which are arriving every quarter)

If FreeBSD just wouldn't also Break so much on so many older laptops
	{ ATA access, Geom / FDISK, PCMCIA (ether & cdrom), PLIP }
I just tried NetBSD latest release, 3.1 - which works fine:
	http://berklix.org/~jhs/hardware/laptops/#dmesg.dell


> Personally, I suspect really bad ACPI-implementations as the reason  
> for the kernel-panics I get (no success with safe-mode, ACPI or no  
> ACPI).

Could you & others please look at list
	http://berklix.org/~jhs/hardware/laptops/#loader.conf
Which of those & other options should I add to "bootsafekey" in
	/usr/src/sys/boot/forth/beastie.4th
to help a "Safe" boot ?
Then I'll send-pr a diff to extend chance of other older laptops booting.
& will roll new floppies(*) & put up for ftp; (no prob, done releases before).


> And 4.x _is_ dead. Not only nominally, but really. No fixes. Ports  
> don't build. End of game. RIP.

"Apart from the Adalvaran liquers" ... "The afterlife Sir" ;-)
  (Restaurant At The End Of The Universe, Hitch Hikers Guide To The Galaxy).

Give me the after life then ;-) FREEBSD-6.2 is not much use on only
1 laptop here, FreeBSD-4.11 is more use on 4 or 5, & NetBSD-3.1 now
on 1 to start, & to go on every one FREEBSD-6.2 fails on.

One pitch for BSD (& Linux) to Micro$oft users, is:
   BSD/Linux doesn't Need the expensive new hardware that Micro$oft
   demands, so it's easy to find a spare old machine to try it on,
   before switching the main machines.
If FreeBSD continues cold shouldering legacy, NetBSD could fill the slot.
It's not ecological to keep ditching old laptops, only wealthy
G8 employees can afford that. Developers in less wealthy environs
are more likely to develop on an OS less hostile to older hardware.


> (I've got a server with 4.11 in a colo 500 km away that is waiting  
> for a 'decision')

Me too, will be a hastle I expect 4 to 6, (different boot & FS), might hang
& need access, (but 3 Km not 500 here :-), but easy compared to laptops.

-- 
Julian Stacey. Munich Computer Consultant, BSD Unix C Linux. http://berklix.com
 HTML mail unseen. Ihr Rauch=mein allergischer Kopfschmerz. Dump cigs 4 snuff.