Path: sparky!uunet!think.com!mips!mips!svcs1!dharris
From: dharris@svcs1.UUCP (David Harris)
Newsgroups: comp.unix.bsd
Subject: 386BSD and Linux (talk and software)
Keywords: 386BSD, Linux, software
Message-ID: <587@svcs1.UUCP>
Date: 29 Mar 92 08:14:59 GMT
Distribution: ba
Organization: Silicon Valley Computer Society, Sunnyvale, CA
Lines: 124
Linux and 386BSD, Talk and Software Party!
------------------------------------------
At PC UNIX SIG on Wednesday, April 1, 7pm, in Cupertino.
The age of free Unix for 386 machines has arrived, and the biggest
question is which one to pick! A rewrite of Unix called Linux started
the excitement a few months ago, and the March meeting of SVNet made
bigger news by making a bootable 386 version of Berkeley Unix available.
Both are pre-releases that people around the world are helping debug.
Frank Schulz, our recently converted Minix expert, has been working with
both Linux and 386BSD, and will give an overview of the 2 systems. He
will explain the differences between them and help you decide which one
is better for your environment. He will also talk about gcc 2.0, the
GNU C compiler, which is part of both systems.
We are hoping to see some of the other people in the area who are
working on these systems, especially those brave enough to use the 0.0
release of 386BSD.
"Software Reproduction Party":
Bring your own computer or formatted disks. Frank will have the latest
Linux version and John Sokol, who is helping Bill Jolitz, will have the
latest 386BSD version.
General Meeting Information:
Date: Wednesday, April 1, 7:00pm to 9:00pm -- no fooling!
Place: Cupertino Library (Still looking for a
10400 Torre Ave. place to call home.)
Take 280 to the Cupertino exit South; turn left on
Stevens Creek; turn right on Torre; the library is
past the city hall on the left.
Info: Dan Kionka, 408-944-7941, dki...@cadence.com
Bill Miller, 408-253-3175, {uunet,mips}!svcs1!slix
Upcoming meetings:
May 13: Bill Jolitz on 386BSD (Combined meeting with SVNet)
The PC UNIX SIG is a group that meets monthly to learn about UNIX and
discuss the popular UNIX versions for the IBM PC family. The format is
technical discussions or product presentations. We also have a club
computer with Usenet access.
The meetings are free and open to the public, but members are encouraged
to join the parent group, Silicon Valley Computer Society, an IBM PC
users group. For more information on SVCS call 408-286-1271.
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
DETAILS ON THE 386BSD TO BE DISTRIBUTED:
This will be the SAME CODE NOW AVAILABLE ON THE INTERNET, but available
on 1.2 MB 5.25" disks and 1.44 MB 3.5" disks for those people who want
it now but can't get it from the net.
William F. Jolitz, the author of the 386 port of BSD UNIX (now free of
AT&T code) began releasing "386BSD" to the public about 4 weeks ago.
This is the result of the major porting effort described in Jolitz's
DR. DOBB'S JOURNAL series on 386 BSD.
This version of 386 BSD is an "alpha" release and is recommended for
skilled experimenters only. You want "kernel experience" for your
resume? This is your chance. While the source and binaries are
copyrighted by Bill Jolitz, he authorizes redistribution without required
charge (donations needed, but voluntary) for this and future releases.
He also plans to write a book about 386BSD, for educational use.
This version is said to run on 386/486 SX/DX ISA (AT bus), with
traditional hard and floppy controller (IDE, ESDI, MFM types), and common
displays (MDA/CGA/VGA/Hercules). Ethernet controllers supported include
Western Digital 8003EB, 8003EBT, 8003S, WD8003SBT, 8013EBT and Novell
NE2000. Clones also appear to work quite well. Tape drive support is
available for QIC-02 controllers as well, allowing use of 3M cartridges of
QIC-60 through QIC-150 format.
As configured on the binary distribution, the system REQUIRES a floating
point coprocessor (387 or compatible), 2 MB of memory (will run on 1 MB
using paging). 4 MB of memory and a 200 MB hard disk is comfortable.
This early version is not reliable, and has trouble booting on some
systems. There are known serious bugs, and missing utilities. Even
booting this version MIGHT cause a write to your hard disk, potentially
clobbering whateve is there. Please do a full backup first! But this is
based on the Berkeley UNIX that vast numbers of students learned and used
--- now available FREE. One would expect this software to be widely used
for education and as an introduction to UNIX. There is an active group of
contributors worldwide improving and enhancing this code. Their effort
is coordinated mainly by messages in the Usenet newsgroup called
"comp.unix.bsd".
***********************************************************************
* If you want to be SURE to get a copy of 386BSD, bring a COMPUTER capable
* of doing a DOS copy to your high density disks. If needed, we will
* organize "trees" of people to copy for each other, if people can't make
* copies at the meeting due to limited time and few machines.
*
* People who want a copy of the 386BSD system should bring either:
* (A) for 3-1/4 1.44 Meg disks bring
* Source = 8 Disks
* Binaries = 6 Disks + 1 Boot disk = 7 Disks total
* For everything = 7 + 8 = 15 Disks Total !!!!
* or (B) for 5-1/2 1.2 Meg disks bring
* Sources = 10 Disks
* Binaries = 8 Disks + 1 Boot Disk = 9 Disks Total
* For Everything = 10 + 9 = 19 Disks Total !!!!!
* There is a chance that the system has grown since the first version, so
* it would be wise to bring a few extra disks!
*
* NOTE: The disks must be error free DOS formatted ahead of time! We
* don't want to wait while a computer formats floppies at the meeting.
***********************************************************************
--
David C. Harris: ...!sun!ys2!medint!dharris , in Palo Alto, California.