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Date:      Tue, 31 Jan 1995 15:50:43 -0500 (EST)
From:      James Robinson <james@hermes.cybernetics.net>
To:        nelson@seahunt.imat.com
Cc:        questions@FreeBSD.org
Subject:   Re: Discouraged...
Message-ID:  <199501312050.PAA01420@hermes.cybernetics.net>
In-Reply-To: <199501311704.JAA00408@seahunt.imat.com> from "Michael Nelson" at Jan 31, 95 09:04:52 am

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One would think that such a high caliber computer professional would
approach a volenteer group with a little less of an inflammatory
attitude. Remember -- no one made you do this, an nothing makes us
want to help aside from our good nature. You did not purchase a product
from the FreeBSD team (whom I do not represent -- I am just a happy
user).

Now lets see if we can get some pertinent info and try and fix your
problems :-) .


> 
> Machine: 	AMI 486/33
> Ram:		16MB
> SCSI:		2 ea CDC 320MB drives on an Adaptec AHA-1740
> 		1 ea Archive Viper 150 Tape
> 		1 ea Toshiba 3101 CDROM
> Ethernet:	WD (SMC) 8013		
> Video:		ATI Graphics Ultra		

DX or SX chip?

> Secondly, I had gotten disenchanted with some of the little niggling
> problems with Linux's networking code, and had heard that FreeBSD had the
> best networking code of all, bar none.  I am certainly NOT finding that
> to be the case!  For _ME_, on _MY_ machine, FreeBSD's networking code has
> been very disappointing and troublesome.

"niggling"? Nice phrase there. 

> 
> EXAMPLE - Networking
> --------------------
> 
[sup deleted]

Can't help with that one -- don't run sup, as that I am still running
1.1.5.1, the last really stable release. 2.0R and the two snaps do
seem to have problems, which 2.1 is looking to fix by around the
middle of March.

> 
> Using ncftp, I get about the same transfer speeds from that site,
> although other sites seem to be OK (1.5KB/sec... we're on a SLIP).  Ping
> times and traceroutes look normal between here and FreeBSD.ORG.  I have
> no idea what's wrong.

What speed -- 16 cps ? Are you saying that you get 1.5K/s from your
FreeBSD machine to other machines in the real world, but really
slow ones to freefall.cdrom.com? Or do you get 1.5K/s from a peer
Linux machine to the real world? Can you capture some documentary
output describing your situation, as well as your network setup?

> 
> And, at the same time, I can telnet to my roommate's Linux machine and
> get very good transfer speeds using ncftp from the same site, through the
> same slip connection.  So I doubt it's network connections between our
> slip and FreeBSD.ORG.  

Ok -- what is acting as the gateway machine? What does the FreeBSD
box's routing table look like? Do you get good pure ethernet transfer
times?

> 
> Example - HARDWARE SUPPORT
> --------------------------
> 
> Toshiba 3101 CDROM Drive:
[...] 

> describing this problem in any of the FAQs, which I read prior to
> switching over to FreeBSD.

A newly developed documentation team has taken over the FAQ writing
job, but it is easier to write about the features that we have, as
opposed to the ones that we don't :). Suggestion noted, though. The
reason that the ioctls aren't there is because no one has written
them. Not a crime, really.
> 
> EXAMPLE - XWindows
> ------------------
> 
> Common programs such as "xload" periodically blow up and exit with a
> floating point exception error.  I've been through the xload code with a
> fine tooth comb, and finally got it to compile absolutely clean with the
> gcc -Wall switch, but it STILL blows up.  I don't think the problem is
> with xload, but with FreeBSD.

Do you have a math co-processor? Sounds like a math emulation problem --
try configuring a kernel with the
options	GPL_MATH_EMULATE

as opposed to 
options MATH_EMULATE

Or installing a DX chip.




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