New NetBSD Port, NetBSD/Iyonix

agent dero writes "Gavan Fantom of NetBSD, has imported a new port into the NetBSD source tree, the new NetBSD/iyonix port. The IYONIX pc is an ARM-based desktop machine. It offers virtually silent operation, low heat, and all the other odds and ends offered by a modern PC. NetBSD is one port closer to a NetBSD/toaster port."

Port like port, but the machine...?

[Gadzinka]

Well, port like port, they will make NetBSD run on everything. Having quite open ARM machine with existing Linux port makes is trivial for porting gurus to port NetBSD to it.

But the machine itself...? Oh my God, why is this piece of trash SO expensive?

I mean, you can buy VIA EPIA low-power, low-noise for a fraction of that price. If you want to go kinky, you can buy standard size ATX PowerPC board [t.com.pl] capable of running MorphOS (Amiga OS clone) and Linux for 415eur (G3 600MHz) or 670eur (G4 1GHz).

So, aside from running Risc OS, why would I want to buy that?

Robert

Re:Port like port, but the machine...?

[redhotchil]

I agree. That's probably the slowest machine for the most money I've ever seen./

Alternative ARM machines

[nurb432]

I also tend to agree, but i rarely see reasonable priced ones at all...

I guess its all about 'mass production' compared to 'limited market'...

Re:Port like port, but the machine...?

[gl4ss]

****
IYONIX pc Panther TC 2x120GB HDD; 1GB DDR RAM; CDRW; Multi-media keyboard *Special offer save £200 £1399
IYONIX pc Panther 120GB HDD; 512MB DDR RAM; CDRW; Multi-media keyboard £1399
IYONIX pc (512MB) 120GB HDD; 512MB DDR RAM; CDRW; Card reader £1399
IYONIX pc (256MB) 80GB HDD; 256MB DDR RAM; CDRW £1299
IYONIX pc (128MB) 40GB HDD; 128MB DDR RAM; CD ROM £1249
X122c IYONIX pc desktop 120GB HDD; 512MB DD

Re:Caution: OS Wars Ahead

[noselasd]

>Now only if it were useful as a desktop OS...
Why should it not be ? Note that beeing a desktop OS isn't NetBSDs goal,
but you can run just the same KDE/Gnome/whatever desktop on it as on a linux distro. I have NetBSD and Fedora dual booting. There really isn't that much diffrence once things are set up.

Re:Caution: OS Wars Ahead

[irc.goatse.cx troll]

Thats the same argument I use when people ask why I run windows. I've got the same gnu binutils, perl, gaim, moz, ssh, etc as I would on linux. I could even run kde if I were into that sort of thing (I'm not).

Re:Caution: OS Wars Ahead

[nicolas.e]

You have a crappy WM for native windows apps.
fork() is terribly slow in cygwin.
Windows eats more resources, is more expensive...

Re:Caution: OS Wars Ahead

[Anonymous Coward]

Man if you can run KDE or Gnome on your toaster, then... well, you paid too much for your toaster.

you're obviously not a software engineer...

[stoborrobots]

http://www.funnyhumor.com/jokes/254.html [funnyhumor.com]

...Or you have one of these

[ReKleSS]

One of these [mini-itx.com]. The wonders of mini-ITX and people with far too much time on their hands...
-ReK

Re:Caution: OS Wars Ahead

[Anonymous Coward]

- suspend (not hibernate) - you said suspend though, do you really know what it means?

OK.

- hotplug (what the hell is that? I can plug in my thumbnail drive on NetBSD after it has booted and mount it, is that the same thing?)

In Linux one can plug and unplug PCI cards, even PCI controllers, CPUs, etc.

- ACPI: check (in 2.0)

OK.

- 'lots of devices': I have lots of devices, see GENERIC.

Not nearly as many as Linux for 386. NetBSD doesn't support nearly as many CPU ISAs either, nor as many relevant one

Re:Now, *that's* something.

[pp]

Once you have 32 CPUs or so and have an OS that is able to run pretty well on those (Linux does, depending on the workload of course, people are
using Altixes with 256-512 in a single system image and are quite happy with them), being to able to replace cpus without rebooting starts getting pretty important (since occasionally they do fail).

Re:Now, *that's* something.

[ulib]

Firstly, I don't know if *BSDs have to reboot to replace CPUs. But anyway... being able to replace cpus without rebooting sounds like a *very* peculiar requirement. Beyond some weird exceptional cases, it really sounds like a pretty useless feature.

uh.. trolling is "interesting" to sb :-/ (no txt)

[ulib]

*cough* I said "no txt".

Re:Caution: OS Wars Ahead

[tedu]

um, weren't we talking about the desktop? have you ever hotplugged a cpu on your desktop?

netapp

[cmaxx]

Machines called 'toasters' (by the faithful) already based upon NetBSD (long long ago, see the aknowledgements in a DataOnTap manual near you).

Re:netapp

[Guy Harris]

Machines called 'toasters' (by the faithful) already based upon NetBSD

...if by "based on NetBSD" you mean "including, in the low-level support code for Alpha-based machines, some code from NetBSD".

Data ONTAP is NOT "based on NetBSD" in the sense of being a modified version of NetBSD, or even of having a kernel that's a derivative of NetBSD. (Note that there aren't any Alpha-based machines currently being made by NetApp, so none of the current toasters are NetBSD-based.) There is a significant chunk of B

Correct me if I'm wrong...

[ArbitraryConstant]

But don't many toasters only have 1 bit of memory? And that bit tends to zero itself after a minute or two. Can NetBSD be ported to a machine with only one bit?

I'd like to see that.

Re:Correct me if I'm wrong...

[Profane MuthaFucka]

Jeez, what is it with you people who insist on running these underpowered computers? Can it really be so hard to get ANOTHER slice of bread?

Re:

[account_deleted]

Comment removed based on user account deletion

Re:Correct me if I'm wrong...

[drinkypoo]

Besides which, if these are low heat machines, isn't this a step farther from running on a toaster?

I mean... *really* amazing.

[Anonymous Coward]

NetBSD again sets Internet2 Land Speed World Record (30 Sep) [netbsd.org] :-)

Learn to code!

[Anonymous Coward]

Do it. Your community needs good coders - badly. :-D
NetBSD again sets Internet2 Land Speed World Record (30 Sep) [netbsd.org]