Path: utzoo!mnetor!tmsoft!torsqnt!news-server.csri.toronto.edu!cs.utexas.edu!tut.cis.ohio-state.edu!ucbvax!POLAR.BOWDOIN.EDU!tsarna
From: tsarna@POLAR.BOWDOIN.EDU (Tyler Sarna)
Newsgroups: comp.os.minix
Subject: AmigaMINIX developments?
Message-ID: <9101021544.AA13996@polar.bowdoin.edu>
Date: 2 Jan 91 15:44:41 GMT
Sender: daemon@ucbvax.BERKELEY.EDU
Lines: 48

[please respond via e-mail. My comp.os.minix feed is being stubborn]

Hello! Santa brought me Minix 1.5 for the Amiga this Christmas. I'm
having a few problems however.

a) ECS agnus. I have the ECS Agnus (aka Super, Obese, and 1 Meg Agnus).
Minix doesn't like this. I am using "killchip" at the moment, but I'd
like a more reasonable solution.

b) File system corruption, which happens quite frequently. This may a
problem with the FS itself (as some people I have talked to have
suggested), due to the FS not being sync'd when the machine crashes (it
does this often too. Also, sometimes the screen memory gets overwritten.
The diskcopy program, for instance, reads into a buffer which apparently
gets allocated on top of the screen memory. I am using Project D to copy
disks instead). 

c) I understand that Minix is up to 1.5.10, and that FS and Agnus
problems have been fixed. I have looked around on several FTP sites, but
found only PC and ST patches.

d) Hard disk drivers. I know that several are being worked on. Which
ones are being done? How are they coming along? If anyone is working on
a GVP Series II driver, I'd be glad to help any way I can (testing,
programming, etc).

e) 680x0 compatibility. I should hope that this is being worked on. When I
disable my '020 I also loose my expansion memory (32-bit memory on the
'020 card). Is anybody working on this? How is it coming along? Again,
I'd be glad to help out.

f) Bad boot disk. I knew about the above problems before I went ahead
with Minix, but I was unprepared for this. Apparently P-H has been
shipping these bad disks for quite a while, and, rather than fixing the
problem, they put a sticker on the box saying that the backup minix.img
on the disk can be used instead. This is idiotic.

Minix is something that I have wanted on the Amiga for quite a while (I
considered doing a port myself a couple of years back). It is currently
useless though. I hope that these initial problems can be overcome,
because it really is nice.

Anyway, Happy new year!

------///------------------------------------------------------------
     /// Tyler "Ty" Sarna            E-Mail: tsarna@polar.bowdoin.edu 
 \\\///  "...and save up to 100% on brands you've never heard of!!!!"
--\XX/---------------------------------------------------------------