[rescue] best NetBSD support

[Eric Dittman]

> > People run it in spite of the problem.  Check GoogleGroups and
> > you'll see that this is a known bug.  Once you are bitten, though,
> > a mainboard replacement is your only option.
> 
> I read the lists -- I've followed the debate on the problem.  It's not
> nearly so black&white as you suggest.

How so?  It either does or doesn't damage the firmware.

> > I doubt most of the developers can afford to have the motherboard
> > replaced once the firmware is corrupted.
> 
> Well given that such machines are often given away free....

I've found VS4000/90 are often sold.  They are rarely given
away for free, and not in quantity.

> In any case the intelligent developer will simply replace the firmware,
> not the entire "motherboard" or machine....

That's a nice trick with a soldered-in EEPROM.  Most people
can't handle desoldering them without further damage.

> > > In the mean time NetBSD explicitly comes with no warrantee -- buyer beware!
> > 
> > The problem isn't that NetBSD doesn't have a warrantee, the
> > problem is people aren't warned about the bug ahead of time,
> > even though it is a known problem.
> 
> "buyer beware" means you'll research these issues yourself before you
> commit to doing anything and that you won't whine about problems after
> the fact.  Ignorance is no excuse.

When someone says something works just fine, then others will
accept this, esp. if the report is listed on the official
NetBSD web site.

> If this bug were reported to the NetBSD GNATS database them perhaps more
> volunteers would be able to work on it.  As is the only 4000/90 PR in
> the entire database is #9669 titled "vs4000/90 will not boot" and it was
> closed with the following details:

It's a known issue with the NetBSD/VAX developers.  They just
haven't bothered fixing it.  They are the one that *SHOULD*
have the know-how to fix this bug.  Instead they devote their
time to newer projects.  Software is being written, but not
completed.

It's kind of like MAME.  People were adding more and more games
so they could say MAME supported them, but the known bugs in
the already supported games weren't being fixed.  A couple of
time there were freezes on adding new games so the current
bugs could be fixed, but that didn't help much.  Most of the
people writing the drivers were more interested in how many
games they could add rather than completing their old drivers.
-- 
Eric Dittman
dittman at dittman.net
Check out the DEC Enthusiasts Club at http://www.dittman.net/