Path: utzoo!attcan!uunet!lll-winken!lll-tis!ames!mailrus!tut.cis.ohio-state.edu!osu-cis!att!alberta!dutchyn
From: dutchyn@alberta.UUCP (Chris Dutchyn)
Newsgroups: comp.os.minix
Subject: Re: Status of V1.3
Summary: Floppy users unite!! You can only lose your anonymity!!
Message-ID: <107@swanhills.UUCP>
Date: 27 May 88 16:59:18 GMT
References: <2677@louie.udel.EDU> <753@ast.cs.vu.nl>
Organization: U. of Alberta, Edmonton, AB
Lines: 42

In article <753@ast.cs.vu.nl>, ast@cs.vu.nl (Andy Tanenbaum) writes:
> P.S. Since I have to put some filler here to keep Pnews happy, I will mention
> that so far the total number of people expressing interest in having 1.3 run
> on a hard diskless system is 0.  If there are any floppy fans out there, speak
> now or forever hold your peace.

Unfortunately, floppy users still exist (not I wouldn't say I'm a fan, just
a little under-funded, that's all :-).  I currently run MINIX 1.2- (the -
because I still use the 1.1 cc binaries) on an IBM PC with an Amdek green
monitor, a CGA, 640K (384 on an AST SixPak+), a 1200 baud modem, and (yes,
you guessed it) two 360K floppies. Things don't work too poorly, because I
have made up special /usr and /user which contain only the "development"
utilities - cc, include files, lib, and general utilities like cat, rm,
lib{u}pack (I often use the copt posted a while back), etc.  Diskette
swapping is thus kept to a minimum.  I have even managed to port some of
the games and utilities from comp.sources, but the lack of a curses
package hurts.  Several things I have looked into include but haven't yet
finished include 1) Gnuchess (without -DDISPLAY or -DSUNTOOLS),
 		 2) a steam-based IO system (ala Bell Tech. Journal)
		 3) a graphics driver for my cga (thus probably entirely
			non portable)

Now that I've responded, could you reply to yet one more burning question,
and one not-quite-so burning question:
	1: (BURNING)  Will there be access to MINIX 1.3 binaries for cc
		via the net, or do we netlanders have to either
			a) buy the entire MINIX 1.3 distribution
			b) buy the sources for cc and make our own
	2: (NOT SO BURNING) In terms of a tty driver, does it make sense
		to recognize the inherent differences between a memory-
		mapped terminal (such as the console on a PC) and a serial-
		line based terminal?  If so, why not have 2 different
		tasks, one for each separate case, i think it might
		improve the quality and decrease the quantity of code.
		Besides, then memory-mapped graphics is more stright-forward
		to implement.

Well, having stirred you all up, I'll be going now, Ta Ta...

				Christopher Dutchyn

				(ihnp4!alberta!dutchyn)  (summer)
				(ihnp4!alberta!edm!neyessa!chrys) (permanent)