[Info-vax] X86 first boot? - A Really Stupid Question

[Dave Froble]

On 3/29/2019 6:03 PM, Simon Clubley wrote:
> On 2019-03-29, Phillip Helbig (undress to reply) <helbig at asclothestro.multivax.de> wrote:
>>
>> If patches etc were available for hobbyist use again, you would have
>> many people happy to test, a bit bolder than in a production
>> environment.  With x86, hardware won't be such a bottleneck with
>> hobbyists.
>>
>
> The availability of patches is only a small part of the problem.
>
> The real problem is writing the drivers to support that hardware
> in the first place.
>
> What happens when you try it on some hardware and find it doesn't
> work ? How do you fix the problem when you don't have access to
> the source code for the driver ?
>
> In the open source world, where people _do_ have access to the
> source code, there are plenty of people with the ability to
> track down the problem and supply fixes. Having access to the
> driver source code means that ability can be used to actually
> find and fix the problem.
>
> It's also a _lot_ easier and quicker to write, and especially
> debug, a driver in the Linux world than it is in the VMS world.
>
> Try writing a few BSPs for an embedded OS and you will get an
> understanding of the real problem here.
>
> I can fully understand VSI's dilemma.
>
> Simon.
>

VSI has said they cannot release any of the code they received from HP.

I do believe they have also said they can do as they please with 
whatever they write.  Not real sure if there may be any restrictions.

So, if many of the device drivers have been re-written by VSI, perhaps 
they could make them available.  Whether they would do so is another 
question.  Whether they could or would make documentation available so 
third parties could write drivers might be a good question.

-- 
David Froble                       Tel: 724-529-0450
Dave Froble Enterprises, Inc.      E-Mail: davef at tsoft-inc.com
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