Re: Floppy Support

Doug Barton wrote:
> On Sun, 4 May 2003, Peter Schultz wrote:
> 
> 
>>Since we need to keep the floppies, why don't we create a number of
>>custom kern.flp images?  This is a current issue of vital importance and
>>must not be ingnored any longer.  Why, a simple rackmount system
>>compatible kernel.gz could easily be less than 1MB in size.
>>
>>Why insist kern.flp to be all things to all people?  That is what seems
>>to be the root of the problem here.  Please forgive me if there are
>>further binding issues holding the floppies in the position that they're
>>currently in, but I don't see such a big problem in having some custom
>>kernels defined for creating a set of kern.flps that people can choose
>>from in order to match their set of requirements.  FreeBSD is already
>>quite complex and to add a few more options in this area is not too much
>>to ask of the installer's brain capacity.
> 
> 
> You didn't specify in your post exactly what you plan to use those
> floppies for. If you're interested just in installation issues, there are
> already extra floppies with drivers needed by less popular hardware.
> 
Since I began using FreeBSD, I have almost always used the kern.flp and 
mfsroot.flp to install.  It just so happens that around the same time 
UFS2 became the default, the kern.flp started failing on JPSNAP. 
Although I am able to boot CDs, I was frustrated to find the much 
beloved floppies not working, yet again.

Turns out that doesn't matter anyway, according to Makoto Matsushita 
installing JPSNAPs over the network using the install floppies has not 
worked correctly since November 2002.  I can't remember who it was, but 
I think he was saying that it could be due to their adherence to IPv6. 
Look for recent discussion on sysinstall.

I don't have the answer to the floppy problem, but I think we do have 
some pretty decent dialog going now.  My guess is that the day is 
approaching very quickly, when there will not be a way to make kern.flp. 
  There's certainly a limit as to how much one can chop out, isn't there?

> If you're interested in floppy-size bootable systems for _other_ purposes,
> then take a look at the picobsd port. You can build floppy size systems
> for all kinds of purposes. By combining a picobsd bootable floppy on an El
> Torrito CD you can do a lot of cool stuff.
> 
Totally, knoppix is for chumps.  :-)

Pete...