Path: utzoo!utgpu!news-server.csri.toronto.edu!rpi!usc!wuarchive!udel!mmdf
From: KENC@vaxb.acs.unt.edu (Ken Corey, CSCI Major...)
Newsgroups: comp.os.minix
Subject: Re: (mac)Minix questions & sales promotion.
Message-ID: <55214@nigel.ee.udel.edu>
Date: 1 Jun 91 06:06:30 GMT
Sender: mmdf@ee.udel.edu
Lines: 70

>I was wondering who else got this card, and what is the status of
>Minix 1.5 for the macintosh.  There were complaints (in installation,
>etc) when macminix 1.5 was first released.  Have these problems been
>addressed?

I haven't gotten it...

Of course, the manual is wrong in enough of the parameters so that to install
MacMinix successfully, you've either got to be reading this net, or get it up
enough to read a script file or two, and decipher what the heck it's REALLY
trying to do.

There are a number of bugs.  (The printer task takes over the machine for
instance.  The serial port code (as it comes out of the box) has a bug so it
won't work.  The screen response on 8Mhz systems is horrible.  I STILL haven't
gotten uucp to work, (following the installation guidelines in the UNIX
administrator's handbook, because I still get an error from the serial port.)
kermit refuses to talk to the serial port at all right now.)  

(If anyone has the patches to fix any of these particulars, let me know,
please?)

On the other hand, I've learned quite a bit about Unix by studying the code on
my Mac.  This is what the system was expressly written for, and the simplicity
of many of the components belies it's use as an educational tool.  Publicly,
Thank you Andy for making this accessible, and thanks also to Joe Pickert and
all those who ported it to the Mac!

>What are the best reasons to run MINIX on a mac, given that things
>such as ATM, Freedom of Press [postscript], LightspeedC, MS-Word,
>Canvas, Red Ryder, MicroEmacs, and OzTex work very well in native mac
>mode.  Does MINIX handle UUCP and notesfiles?  Does it work with VM in
>system 7.0?

UGH!  If you're asking, why do YOU want to run Minix?  I wanted to learn about
the system internals, as well as the standard externals of a basic unix system. 
Minix is allowing me to do this.  Because so many of the programs for the Mac
make things so much easier, I haven't heard of many of the big programs being
ported to the MacMinix.  However, I HAVE heard of such things being ported onto
Minix on other platforms, and (if I can get things like UUCP to work), I'll be
using it for that.  On the other hand, I'd rather use Word for word processing,
but for programming, I like VI, because it's what I use at work.  Differeing
word processors bug me...;)

Does it work with VM?  I doubt it.  It didn't work with the virtual init on
system 6.0.7.  Matter of fact, I'm the only system 7 owner (running on an
accelerated Plus, 4MB of RAM) that has gotten it to work with system 7.  Nobody
knows why yet.  (I'm not running VM, nor can I get into 32-bit mode, so those
don't affect me right now).

>How many pages are in the average 1.5 manual?  I am an experienced
>unix programmer: Do I need to buy additional V7 UNIX documentation to
>take full advantage of macminix?

Isn't this your own personal preference?  The best reference for any program is
the source code.  I've seen it said on the net many times...if you don't like
something, or if it doesn't work for you, reprogram it!  Patch it! Etc.  If you
read this group often, you'll see how the IBM Minixers and the ST minixers are
improving and expanding Minix to provide more capability.  Personally, I feel
that MacMinix could be the best of the bunch, if we could get the worst of the
bugs worked out, because it DOES let us access normal Mac mode without a
strain.  The biggest problem still seems to stem from the fact that certain
things don't work quite right.  (I understand that Joe is trying to fix these
for the next release of MacMinix.  'twould be nice).

Sum: it's a great learning tool, but don't expect to be runnning a MUD based on
MacMinix anytime soon...8(

\  Ken Corey, VAX/Unix Programmer/Operator  (And GOD am I confused...;)  /
 \          kenc@vaxb.acs.unt.edu  ken@isect.lonestar.org               /