Path: utzoo!attcan!utgpu!news-server.csri.toronto.edu!rutgers!usc!wuarchive!udel!mmdf
From: cracraft@ai.mit.edu
Newsgroups: comp.os.minix
Subject: extension to Bruce"s 386 kernel and MINIX
Message-ID: <32696@nigel.ee.udel.edu>
Date: 7 Oct 90 15:27:14 GMT
Sender: mmdf@ee.udel.edu
Lines: 30


I've had a bad experience with the 386 kernel and associated
utilities (cppmake, db). cppmake simply would not build. Under
__STDC__ #ifdef's the inclusion of <varargs.h> wasn't supported
by Minix 1.5. Commenting that out resulted in numerous
other errors such as "wait_t" as an undefined typedef and
various completely opaque errors. And the one little comment
"unless everything is in place the 386 binaries (presumably
bcc, as, sc, ld? -- please state!) won't work". I feel the
documentation should plainly state so there's no room for
doubt "These four utilities are 32 bit mode (assuming 32
bit distribution included) and will not run until the
changes made in mx386/README have been made." or something
like this.

The entire 386 kernel installation notes ran a total of
a page or two and really lacked depth. Separate programs like
cppmake had their own opaque documentation and no "What if
when there's an error" section. 

For an installation of this magnitude of a change to an OS, there
should be very precise notes about exactly what steps to follow, AND
the author should have tried it already on various configurations to
ensure that it works.

To repeat: installation of Evans' 386 kernel with Chew's cppmake
failed miserably on a Minix 1.5 (IBM PC AT clone). It was very
disappointing.

Stuart