Re: Do we need this junk?

imp_at_freebsd.org, piso_at_freebsd.org
cc: FreeBSD Current <freebsd-current_at_freebsd.org>

I have an (EISA ?) 1742A if any developer needs it for bug chasing.
It's a full length card.  Maybe it exhibits same problems as a 1542A ?
I found it while looking to offer my old 1542A, re below

"Nikolas Britton" <nikolas.britton_at_gmail.com> quoted:

> CVS Log:
> ###############################
> Revision 1.33: Jan 2005 (2 years, 2 months ago) by imp
> 
> Final attempt to make aha 1542A working.  If not, oh well, I don't
> have the card and no way to reproduce problems.  We do this by
> applying the workaround to firmware revsion 0.
> ###############################
> Revision 1.39: Feb 2007 (5 weeks, 6 days ago) by piso
> 
> break newbus api: add a new argument of type driver_filter_t to
> bus_setup_intr()
> ###############################

But I realised I must have long ago given away the 1542A (to a
single disc system owner, as a decade back we realised all 1542A
had an intermittent data corruption bug on multi disc systems at
least on FreeBSD.  http://berklix.com/~jhs/hardware/1542a/ That bug
did not materialise on 1542B & 1542C )

To counter Nikolas' `stats' argument to abandon much hardware support:

	None of my 20 or so personal BSD machines are registered,
	Mine span Athlon back to literaly cpu=386. Numerous with
	ISA, some with 1542B & C, some with i486 more with i586.

	There's scanners with FreeBSD embedded inside:
		http://berklix.com/scanjet/ & http://madole.net/scanjet/
	that uses ISA bus Only * 486 not even 586, & work just Fine.

	There's slow timescale also to qualify military & scientific
	hardware, which then gets shipped to inacessible places, but
	can still be upgraded remotely.

	An ISP I am associated with doesn't bother to report 
	systems to bsdstats or anywhere else, to best of my belief.
	But he helps promote FreeBSD in his way.

	Some cast off hardware in western world ends up in eg Africa,
	where people still try to do useful things with it.  Think
	ecology too: tread lighter, dont force force people to dump
	& shred hardware. Not everyone's rich, employed on a good
	salary, in a rich country.

	Many users we'll never hear from on mail lists, if FreeBSD
	just works, will suddenly curse FreeBSD over a beer/ coffee
	to all their friends if some looney decision were to sudedenly
	abandon all but best newest developer workstations.

-- 
Julian Stacey. Munich Computer Consultant, BSD Unix C Linux. http://berklix.com
	Escape Microsoft 20th April 2007: http://berklix.com/free/talk/
		Ihr Rauch = mein allergischer Kopfschmerz.