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From: thomas@trane.UUCP (Thomas Driemeyer)
Newsgroups: comp.os.minix,sci.electronics
Subject: Sparc and Minix
Keywords: hardware project
Message-ID: <872@trane.UUCP>
Date: 19 Sep 90 19:06:12 GMT
Organization: Aurora Systems, Santa Clara, CA
Lines: 26

A free sample of a Sparc CPU has found its way to me, and I'd like to
build a simple (and cheap) computer around it and port Minix to it.

Currently, I am hunting for the Sparc System Developer's Guide (or
whatever it's called) because the data sheets I have are unusable.
Then, I'll put together a simple system with no MMU and no FP, at
least 4 MB of RAM and SCSI and serial interfaces. A memory-mapped
32-bit/pixel graphics board will eventually follow.

To port Minix, I'll probably get the newest gcc/gas to cross-compile.
I want the whole thing to be as simple as possible, RISC on all levels.
MMUs don't make sense because there is no affordable OS that could use
one, and FP can come later when I find a use for it. Don't know how to
build a reasonable cache yet.
I can't mass-produce boards, but when I'm done, I'll put the schematics
and the Minix patches (Minix is copyrighted) in the public domain. Minix
is fairly easy to port, I've done it before.

Is this a dumb idea? Did anyone do something like this? Does anybody
want it? Is anyone interested in helping, preferrably in the SF Bay Area?
Someone with a really good scope, maybe? :-)

Thomas Driemeyer
pacbell!trane!thomas		... don't use pyramid!trane

Disclaimer: This has nothing to do with my company, I'm doing this for fun.