Daemonnews reports: “FreeBSD/sparc64 now boots multiuser on multiprocessor Ultra and Enterprise class machines with all CPUs active. We believe this is the first open source BSD operating system to fully support SMP on UltraSPARC hardware.”
FreeBSD Now Boots in Multiuser & SMP Mode on SPARC64
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Eugenia Loli
Ex-programmer, ex-editor in chief at OSNews.com, now a visual artist/filmmaker.
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Unfortunately it’s been a long time since I heard news about the macppc port I’m mostly interested in.
Robert
<Sarcasm>
A FreeBSD with multi-user and SMP on a Sun uSPARC64… Add .NET and you got one h*ell of a system!
</Sarcasm>
Be nice to be able to jettison Solaris and substitute BSD on SPARC hardware.
I would really like the option of being able to buy something like the classy Naturetech SPARC 777 notebook without having to have Solaris on it.
As you can probably tell, I like SPARC hardware just fine, but not Solaris (only because I despise $un Inc., it is probably a decent *NIX – I wouldn’t know).
When $un comes out with their own SPARC-compatible Linux variant, I could probably go for that.
…my $0.02.
Linux has been SPARC32/64 compatable for some time…
Debian supports it, I think mandrake and red hat might. I put debian (2.2 kernel, 2.4 weren’t even out yet) on a sparc classic, ran faster than SunOS 4, which is what it came with.
And if you don’t need smp support, OpenBSD and NetBSD will do QUITE well.
“I would really like the option of being able to buy something like the classy Naturetech SPARC 777 notebook without having to have Solaris on it.”
Well I just checked the price tag of that notebook. 7.998$ seems an awful lot for notebook. I just wonder what the target customers are for that notebook.
But I guess with that notebook you’ll get all the girls, right ? 😉
flo
>only because I despise $un Inc.
What’s so bad about Sun??
how dare they make money on software
Don’t Sun make the SPARC procs and the Solaris OS in this Naturetech? Arn’t you already “feeding the beast?”
Hey!
Why are you knocking sun?
Who did they hurt?
“Linux, Debian support Sparc64…”
> Yes they do, but there are still problems with stability and driver support, etc. that would hold me back. Ultralinux runs on the TadPole SparcBook too but it does not have full functionality yet (no X11, etc.)…
“Doesn’t Sun make the SPARC procs…aren’t you feeding the beast?”
> It might shock some of you to know that the SPARC architecture is actually an official IEEE standard, thus, both the European Space Agency and the OpenCores project are developing their own open-source “SPARC compatible” CPUs without having to worry about any inteference from $un.
http://www.opencores.org/forums/cores/2000/03/00223
A lot of interesting development seems to be happening around the SPARC architecture totally independent from $un, which makes the SPARC interesting to me and will mean non-$un SPARC variants in the future. Sort of like comparing Intel to AMD, maybe.
“What’s so bad about Sun?”
> The $un corporate culture/philosophy is very pro-hardware and anti-software. McNealy talks about applications just becoming commoditized “software stacks” and being nothing more than “a feature of the hardware” and that “the future is hardware, not software”. This attitude is reflected in everything that the company does and I just happen to be of the opinion that software is fundamentally more important than hardware. I am more focused on the end-user side whereas $un’s focus is on the server-side. If things were left up to them everyone would be using those dumb (literally) network-computer terminals chained to massively expensive servers – they are hostile to even the very concept of the self-contained, affordable PC, regardless of implementation details (not just because they hate Microsoft). It’s in their DNA – “the server is the computer”.
“Naturetech SPARC 777 notebook costs $8000…”
> I knew they were expensive, but I didn’t realize that they were quite that expensive. I did a search and found ones for sale at $7000, but still…I guess I’ll have to consider it just a pipe-dream for now.
What about the blade workstations?
Under $1000 and better then DEll! Besides, throw in a SunPCI AMD Coprocessor and launch run your legacy apps.
I am typing to you right now on a Ultra 5 Solaris running W2K on the Amd processor.
Doesen’t get any better.
I know (I’d love to see OpenBeBox based on SPARCs), but SPARC Inc (Sun + quite a few others) get cash for every (commersal(sp)) use, selling Laptops is commersal, you are buying a SPARC (not SPARC compatable, I did not know about that, thanks for the link) laptop, hence you are giving Sun cash.
That said, I can’t visit http://www.naturetech.com.tw/ (which I guess is this SPARC laptops site, so it could be just SPARC Compatable)
I don’t understand you hatered agains Sun
Yes, they are a hardware company, this is good, as the software becomes “free”, for example StarOffice (which is still free for Solaris).
Dumb terminals have there place in the world, someone has to surply them.
they are hostile to even the very concept of the self-contained, affordable PC
Have you looked at the WORKSTATION section of Suns web site? They are expenive, but show me a cheap Sparc (Sun Blade
DNA – “the server is the computer”.
The network is the computer.
True now more than ever.
“SPARC cloners have to pay fees, etc…”
> Read the messageboard item at the link I posted.
Sun and its consortium will get licensing fees from you ONLY if you want to use the trademarked “SPARC” name with your product. You do not have to pay any fees to them whatsoever if you only use the phrase “SPARC-compatible” and name your processor something else (like “LEON” in the case of the ESA).
I don’t mind paying cash for SPARC hardware, maybe even from $un (Sun Blade) if I have to, but if I can have *BSD on it instead of Solaris, then that’s what I want. I like SPARC architecture, but I want to run with the *BSD crowd, not the Solaris/$un crowd.
Don’t get the idea that I am a free-software zealot. I’m not. I just like the idea of being able to choose the OS I prefer on SPARC hardware, that’s all. I don’t like having to default to Solaris if I buy SPARC.
“Naturetech’s website seems to be dead…”
> Try this link instead:
http://www.naturetechdirect.com/
“The Sun Blade is good low-cost SPARC-based PC alternative…”
> Point taken. Maybe I’ll buy one if I can get *BSD or Linux on it (for real). However, $un was driven to produce Sun Blade machines kicking-and-screaming purely as a desperation move. They were getting eaten alive in the low-end workstation market by Dell on Win NT/2000, etc. I don’t know what their situation is now as far as market share goes but I guarantee you that $un is not making any significant money whatsoever from selling Sun Blades, the margins are way too narrow…big servers are $un’s lifeblood and that is what $un wants its customers to build their infrastructure around.
“The network is the computer.”
> The network is the network. Soon every significant PDA/Cell Phone/PC/Server/set-top box/game console device in the world will be hooked into it – but the only devices $un cares about being connected to the network are its bread-and-butter big-iron servers. It doesn’t make any substantial profits with anything else that it sells.
I was very disapointed when I found out these sparc based laptops costed so much… It’s a real shame!
Something tells me the reason for the cost isn’t simply because of highend hardware, these laptops have about the same hardware as a sunblade 100, which is a 1k system. Obviously laptops will cost more, but 8 times more? WOW. I’m guessing Sun is gauging naturetech for the privilage of producing these things.. or something.
I’d rather feed the beast that is sun than the beast that is apple or wintel.
What’s wrong with Sun anyway? If I had a choice between a world dominated by intel, MS, apple, or sun, I’d choose sun without hesitation.
Maybe I just don’t know the whole story, that’s probably it.
Just got a cheap clone, maybe I’ll test this before I put Solaris 8 on it.
Hey how about they makers of FreeBSD make it EASIER AND LESS KLUNKY TO INSTALL! That would be a capital idea!!! I’d even lose linux if BSD would kinda come up to date with the installer program! Not to diss text mode installers but the graphical ones like say, Mandrake, SuSe and even RH are better than this.
Text installers can be a godsend when those GUI installers don’t like your hardware, or are just too lame to know what to do with your hardware.
I installed FreeBSD on my server this weekend, and I was up and running in half the time it takes me to get going with Linux. This was primarily due to the ports collection.
Linux has left the building