[huskerlug] Re: Linux on SPARC

From what I can tell the big drop in Linux for SPARC was the same time as
Sun releasing Solaris 8 for free download.  Linux was "big" on SPARC for the
secondary market, used Sun boxes and Sun cloned system, but I think Sun
pulled a M$ on this, dumped their OS out there for free to which they had
intimate knowledge of the hardware.  Linux was already "Free" so it was so
much they stole money away as it was interest in using Linux on SPARC. I'm
pretty sure on this but I might be wrong but I don't think Sun offers
Solaris for SPARC for free download anymore do they?  Probably more factors
than just that but I know when Solaris was free and easy to get I decided to
use it over Linux back when Mandrake 8 had just come out and Mandrake 7 for
SPARC was too "old".

Solaris isn't a bad OS on SPARC, and in many ways it was better than Linux
on SPARC.  The part that drove me nuts was no SSH in Solaris 8, plus the sun
kernel has no random feature (aka /dev/random) this made it hard to build
openssh for Solaris, I fought with it for a long time but didn't seem to get
any closer.  Later I found that there was indeed a random package...only you
could only get it directly from sun and it wasn't available publicly for
download. I got it from one of the other IT guys here but I had already
decided to try Linux on it by then.

----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Jim Worrest" <jworrest@xxxxxxxxx>
To: <huskerlug@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
Sent: Friday, July 25, 2003 4:16 AM
Subject: [huskerlug] Re: Linux on SPARC


> www.ultralinux.org seems to be one website that does contain
> information on the various distros of  SPARC Linux.   I didn't find it
> there or on the Debian website, but I did see that Debian does have
> 3.0r1 for Sparc which is their latest release, I do believe.  I just
> saw that  www.cheapbytes.com had the CDs for it.
> There is getting less instead of more Linux support for the Sparc
> machines, or so it seems to me.   ---Jim
>
>
> On Thursday 24 July 2003 03:31, you wrote:
> > I thought I would follow up on this discussion.
> >
> > I've decided to use Aurora Linux because I am more familiar with
> > Redhat than any other distro.  I have it installed on one machine
> > right now that controls a tape-backup robot.  It works like a charm!
> >  All of the necessary software was on the Aurora discs, and
> > everything installed flawlessly.
> >
> > The only thing that concerns me about this distro is staying
> > up-to-date on software patches.  There are some errata packages
> > available from Aurora, but last I checked, they weren't very
> > up-to-date.
> >
> > I'm thinking about setting up a sparc machine with a little more
> > disk space (my trial machine only has 1GB...just enough to get the
> > system running with no X), and whenever RH releases new RPMs, I'll
> > grab the SRPMs and rebuild them for the sparc.
> >
> > --Ben Chavet
> >
> > Quoting Jim Worrest <jworrest@xxxxxxxxx>:
> > > It's whatever makes Ben happy.  SuSE would be the easiest to
> > > install, I assume they have a Yast to do it, on that distro,  Your
> > > more familiar with both.
> > > Probably,  Debian will have the longest lasting support.  I think
> > > they had before anyone else and still support it.  I gave away a
> > > Sparc and a copy of  Redhat 5.2 for the Sparc.  I don't see where
> > > Redhat supports the machine anymore.  ---Jim
> > >
> > > On Friday 11 July 2003 19:11, you wrote:
> > > > I had trouble with networking in Suse 7.3 on a Ultra SPARC
> > > > 1...works = fine on
> > > > a SPARCstation 5, I'm using Aurora Linux now without any problem
> > > > on the = same
> > > > Ultra 1
> > > >
> > > > Gentoo I can only imagine how long that would take on my might
> > > > 70Mhz, = 110Mhz
> > > > and 143Mhz machines :)
> > > >
> > > > Mandrake Beta? Have to look into that one...
> > > >
> > > > One Problem I'm having with seems just a mater of Linux on SPARC
> > > > is Java support in web browser.
> > > >
> > > > -----Original Message-----
> > > > From: huskerlug-bounce@xxxxxxxxxxxxx =
> > > > [mailto:huskerlug-bounce@xxxxxxxxxxxxx]
> > > > On Behalf Of Jim Worrest
> > > > Sent: Friday, July 11, 2003 6:36 PM
> > > > To: huskerlug@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
> > > > Subject: [huskerlug] Re: Linux on SPARC
> > > >
> > > >
> > > > Ben, I will point out that Debian appears to have a SPARC
> > > > distro, and Mandrake a beta one.   If you're more familiar with
> > > > how those=20 behave,  it could make it easier for you.  I guess
> > > > Sparc computers are=20 a little crankier get working than the
> > > > typical pc.  ---Jim
> > > >
> > > > On Friday 11 July 2003 02:56, you wrote:
> > > > > I'll probably start with SuSE 7.3 because it looks like it's
> > > > > the=20 easiest one to install.
> > > > >
> > > > > Does anybody know why the big distros dropped sparc support?
> > > > > I wonder =
> > > > >
> > > > > how much extra work it was for them to port everything...
> > > > >
> > > > > --Ben Chavet
> > > > >
> > > > > Quoting Jim Worrest <jworrest@xxxxxxxxx>:
> > > > > > Someone brought up this awhile ago and did come up with
> > > > > > a=20 distribution different from SuSE 7.3.  I use this
> > > > > > distro on my IBMs=20 and it usually works very well, and
> > > > > > there is still support for it. =20 ---Jim
> > > > > >
> > > > > > On Thursday 10 July 2003 23:44, you wrote:
> > > > > > > We have a bunch of old Sun machines where I work and
> > > > > > > I'm=20 interested in putting linux on them.  For some of
> > > > > > > the machines it=20 will mean bringing
> > > > > >
> > > > > > them
> > > > > >
> > > > > > > back from the dead, for others it will be a migration
> > > > > > > from=20 Solaris.  Most of these machines are workstations
> > > > > > > in our computer=20 lab which nobody really uses, which is
> > > > > > > why I'm interested in=20 introducing something new.  It
> > > > > > > might sparc some new interest in=20 these machines (pun
> > > > > > > half-way intended
> > > > > > >
> > > > > > > :)
> > > > > > >
> > > > > > > Looking around, it seems that most of the major distros
> > > > > > > have=20 dropped SPARC support quite a while ago.  Does
> > > > > > > anybody have any=20 suggestions as to which distro would
> > > > > > > work best. I'd like to have=20 a package-based distro of
> > > > > > > some sort just to make software=20 installation a bit
> > > > > > > easier.  Although I realize that most projects=20 don't
> > > > > > > package for SPARC anyway, so I'd be willing to play
> > > > > > > around=20 with a source-based distro.
> > > > > > >
> > > > > > > Any tips or suggestions would be much appreciated.
> > > > > > >
> > > > > > > --Ben Chavet
> > > > > > >
> > > > > > > ----
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