OpenBSD coming to the T1000
- TAGS:OpenBSD, Solaris, Sun, T1 CPU, T1000
- IT TOPICS:Applications, Hardware, Operating Systems
Is it wrong to want to run a different operating system on another platform?
We kind of take for granted that PCs are multi-talented and therefore capable of running different OS, but how about other hardware and systems. Is it right that I run Gentoo on my Sun SPARC box?
The reality is that it's nice to have the choice. Being able to run OpenBSD on the T1 CPU and make use of those multiple cores has a lot of appeal to those users who prefer the OpenBSD environment over the Solaris one.
As outline in this statement of progress, getting the T1 CPU working in SMP mode on OpenBSD has been a major project, but as well as enabling the T1 CPU a few general bugs in the SPARC implementation have been fixed too, and that helps all SPARC OpenBSD users (myself included).
Actually, porting applications to another platform is often a good way of finding and fixing bugs on existing environments. This isn't necessarily because the new platform is more buggy, but because the process can stress different parts of the application in different ways. Fixing the bugs you find can also lead to different approach of the fix, or simply more information about the real reason for the problem.
The bottom line? Choice is good, whether it's right or wrong.
Free Insider Guide