Re: got drivers?

Andrew Gillham wrote:

>On Fri, 21 Jan 2005 11:14:43 +0000, Dieter <[email protected]> wrote:
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>>Having used NetBSD for many years now, the biggest problem I see
>>with NetBSD is device drivers.
>>    
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>
>Having just tried to get Linux running on an Nvidia based Athlon64, I
>can't agree with you.
>
>Initially I installed NetBSD 2.0 on it, no problema.   It is fast, it
>is stable, and basically "it just worked" for me.
>
>Then I decided I wanted to install a Linux/amd64 system to run the
>latest / greatest Nvidia 6800 drivers, and get some OpenGL speed.
>
>I booted Fedora Core 3 (official release) and "sata_nv" can't find my
>drives.  Searching around it is a driver issue that is fixed in a new
>kernel.  Of course that does zero good when you're trying to boot the
>installation DVD.  I messed about with an external USB2.0 / IEEE1394
>drive.  Linux couldn't use it to install off of or onto.
>
>A coworker swears up and down that Gentoo is a better Linux
>distribution so I tried that.
>Passing the "doscsi" (the Nvidia SATA is treated as a SCSI now) causes
>sata_sis to wedge the kernel.  Manually loading sata_nv works but
>can't find my SATA DVD burner.
>
>Finally I end up using NetBSD to copy the CD contents to an external
>USB HD formatted with ext2fs and with some screwing around I got
>Gentoo installed.
>
>So I look back and realize that NetBSD's driver support was *WAY*
>better than two of the more popular Linux distributions.
>
>So your results differ, but the reality is NetBSD is pretty darn good
>and is whipping the pants off Linux on some very modern hardware.
>
>-Andrew
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I fully agree that in general linux drivers are of questionable quality 
(as I discussed in an email you will probably get just before this 
one).  I think, though, that Dieter was referring to cases where no 
NetBSD driver currently exists.  You'll see in my previous email that I 
expressed concerns about Linux driver stability.

Seth

>!DSPAM:41f170f3196961337119607!
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