From owner-freebsd-hackers@FreeBSD.ORG  Tue Sep 13 03:01:09 2011
Return-Path: <owner-freebsd-hackers@FreeBSD.ORG>
Delivered-To: freebsd-hackers@freebsd.org
Received: from mx1.freebsd.org (mx1.freebsd.org [IPv6:2001:4f8:fff6::34])
	by hub.freebsd.org (Postfix) with ESMTP id BCB5C1065670
	for <freebsd-hackers@freebsd.org>; Tue, 13 Sep 2011 03:01:09 +0000 (UTC)
	(envelope-from perryh@pluto.rain.com)
Received: from agora.rdrop.com (agora.rdrop.com [IPv6:2607:f678:1010::34])
	by mx1.freebsd.org (Postfix) with ESMTP id 10B3B8FC12
	for <freebsd-hackers@freebsd.org>; Tue, 13 Sep 2011 03:01:08 +0000 (UTC)
Received: from agora.rdrop.com (66@localhost [127.0.0.1])
	by agora.rdrop.com (8.13.1/8.12.7) with ESMTP id p8D3161j075017
	(version=TLSv1/SSLv3 cipher=DHE-RSA-AES256-SHA bits=256 verify=NOT);
	Mon, 12 Sep 2011 20:01:07 -0700 (PDT)
	(envelope-from perryh@pluto.rain.com)
Received: (from uucp@localhost)
	by agora.rdrop.com (8.13.1/8.12.9/Submit) with UUCP id p8D316vV075013; 
	Mon, 12 Sep 2011 20:01:06 -0700 (PDT)
Received: from fbsd81 ([192.168.200.81]) by pluto.rain.com
	(4.1/SMI-4.1-pluto-M2060407) id AA25888; Mon, 12 Sep 11 19:48:18 PDT
Date: Tue, 13 Sep 2011 02:48:01 -0700
From: perryh@pluto.rain.com
To: fjwcash@gmail.com
Message-Id: <4e6f26d1.GZdzm/ZHXJjqFow1%perryh@pluto.rain.com>
References: <j3ikuq$ec1$1@dough.gmane.org>
	<4E5CEF79.7070508@freebsd.org> <j3ju0s$kuo$1@dough.gmane.org>
	<4E5D82FC.2020909@freebsd.org> <j3l1rf$3s6$2@dough.gmane.org>
	<4E5E2D01.3000400@freebsd.org>
	<CAF-QHFWDVjkT5Rt4WZU5u61SUCZbVbxd9yVzhMWuq+R-fACXWA@mail.gmail.com>
	<4E5E3895.4090400@freebsd.org> <j4kt1s$7oo$1@dough.gmane.org>
	<4E6E332D.8030404@freebsd.org>
	<CAF-QHFUn+kZxoZ0Zn+uBjUMNLXCGV4K+MP1VcB7wzvjtPUozdg@mail.gmail.com>
	<CAOjFWZ4k1QSn85VKAw-wVHZ29g1EJ6F7PH-GWKQVrnk5Zz5VPg@mail.gmail.com>
In-Reply-To: <CAOjFWZ4k1QSn85VKAw-wVHZ29g1EJ6F7PH-GWKQVrnk5Zz5VPg@mail.gmail.com>
User-Agent: nail 11.25 7/29/05
Mime-Version: 1.0
Content-Type: text/plain; charset=us-ascii
Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit
Cc: freebsd-hackers@freebsd.org
Subject: Re: 9-beta1 installer - partition editor
X-BeenThere: freebsd-hackers@freebsd.org
X-Mailman-Version: 2.1.5
Precedence: list
List-Id: Technical Discussions relating to FreeBSD
	<freebsd-hackers.freebsd.org>
List-Unsubscribe: <http://lists.freebsd.org/mailman/listinfo/freebsd-hackers>, 
	<mailto:freebsd-hackers-request@freebsd.org?subject=unsubscribe>
List-Archive: <http://lists.freebsd.org/pipermail/freebsd-hackers>
List-Post: <mailto:freebsd-hackers@freebsd.org>
List-Help: <mailto:freebsd-hackers-request@freebsd.org?subject=help>
List-Subscribe: <http://lists.freebsd.org/mailman/listinfo/freebsd-hackers>,
	<mailto:freebsd-hackers-request@freebsd.org?subject=subscribe>
X-List-Received-Date: Tue, 13 Sep 2011 03:01:09 -0000

Freddie Cash <fjwcash@gmail.com> wrote:

> Unix partitioning has always been this way:
>   - create partition on disk for OS
>   - create sub-partitions for filesystems

No, not "always".  The very first Unix I ever encountered, AT&T 6th
Edition on a PDP-11/34 with RK05 disks, used what FreeBSD has (until
recently) called "dangerously dedicated" disks.  Ditto the first BSD-
derived Unix I used, SunOS 3.5 on a Sun-3/160 with the Xylogics SMD
disk controller.

Of course there was nothing dangerous about it then, because no one
had ever heard of installing more than one OS on any given disk pack
or cartridge.  (Even the large multi-platter disk packs were small
enough that one ordinarily needed multiple packs per OS; there was
no way anyone would have wanted to squeeze multiple OS onto a pack.)

Prior to the IBM PC-AT -- the first PC to have a hard drive -- how
many systems _did_ support multiple installs?