Does anyone know if it's possible to install FreeBSD on an Intel Compute Stick?
Apple's EFI is different from UEFI. Very different.There were Apple computers (not Mac minis, I think it was Mac Pros) that had 64 bit processors and 32 bit (U?)EFI and somewhere on the Forum there was a way to boot FreeBSD on them. So, all may not be lost.
I am able to boot NetBSD on my Compute stick - OpenBSD won't boot.I've recently had success with a 64bit z3000 series system that had a 32bit efi using OpenBSD. But it isn't as fantastic as FreeBSD. But it is a BSD so...it's still super. Maybe at BSDCan some folks can get that 32bit efi ported over to FreeBSD. If things were only that easy.
OpenBSD should have an efi boot partition as well. You'll need to install gpt rather than mbr. Mbr assumes you have a bios or legacy support. The efi just tells the system where to boot from I guess. I don't honestly know too much about it other than I don't like when it doesn't work. Anyway, I hope you can get it to work, if you can I would love to install FreeBSD on my 32bit efi system.I am able to boot NetBSD on my Compute stick - OpenBSD won't boot.
Looking at the EFI partition on NetBSD I see a bootia32.efi. I don't really know what this file does precisely, but wonder what would happen if I copied it to a FreeBSD img file...
Given that NetBSD is open source, can't the source for this file be adapted to work on FreeBSD?
IIRC, in the past, FreeBSD did offer images for the Itanium arch... which seems to be what you have on your stick...I was mistaken previously when trying to boot OpenBSD... there was some fault with the media. After trying again, I see that it also does have a bootia32.efi and is able to boot from it, so I'm puzzled why both NetBSD and OpenBSD have such a file whereas FreeBSD doesn't. Could there be any technical reasons for not having such a file?
I wonder how similar the source code is for both systems..
No, ia32 (Intel Architecture 32bit) is just an other name for 32bit x86. Itanium would be ia64.Itanium arch... which seems to be what you have on your stick...
Well, because no FreeBSD developer had the time and/or motivation to create one yet.why both NetBSD and OpenBSD have such a file whereas FreeBSD doesn't
They are both open source projects and both welcome financial and code donations - dive in and help out!How do they do it?! They should be sharing more frequently with FreeBSD.
I help financially but I don't have the needed programming skills for these things.They are both open source projects and both welcome financial and code donations - dive in and help out!
Making tax-deductible donations to the respective Foundations is great, but developing programming skills and getting a handle on the development process - that's an effort that requires time and dedication. Gotta have a handle on git, patching, compiling, submission, and generally earn your way in. Yeah, the crowd of ppl that actually does the development - they can get snarky on the dev emailing lists, but that's because they do expect a rather high level of knowledge.I help financially but I don't have the needed programming skills for these things.
Where should on look to find the source for bootia64.efi?They are both open source projects and both welcome financial and code donations - dive in and help out!
If I were to contribute code it would take me at least a couple of years. I have no experience other than interpreted languages. Actually, that's not entirely true. But I only did compiled for electron and android apps, web apps. That's incredibly simple and requires no more than following simple guidelines and examples to accomplish standard things. When it comes to contributing drivers or anything hardware related I have no experience. I would guess a minimum of two years of learning before I would feel comfortable attempting a contribution.Making tax-deductible donations to the respective Foundations is great, but developing programming skills and getting a handle on the development process - that's an effort that requires time and dedication. Gotta have a handle on git, patching, compiling, submission, and generally earn your way in. Yeah, the crowd of ppl that actually does the development - they can get snarky on the dev emailing lists, but that's because they do expect a rather high level of knowledge.
There's a good proverb that captures that sentiment:
"One fisherman recognizes another from afar."
I see it in action even on these Forums - ppl with similar levels of expertise tend to have livelier conversations, and can understand each other to a much greater extent than when levels of expertise are vastly different. That crowd may not have the skills to actually solve the problem at hand - but they sure will have a lively conversation.
Same idea applies to OpenBSD dev lists - if a noob tries to participate but ultimately has nothing useful to add, or starts messing around - they will get a reaction that reflects that behavior.
Yeah, seems like you're getting the reality of things. And actually, same ideas apply to software, not just hardware. Just being able to compile stuff and install it according to a 10-step list of instructions is not enough, you gotta have a handle on a truckload of stuff beyond that. It's like the difference between barely knowing how to swim at all and being able to surf on a professional level.If I were to contribute code it would take me at least a couple of years. I have no experience other than interpreted languages. Actually, that's not entirely true. But I only did compiled for electron and android apps, web apps. That's incredibly simple and requires no more than following simple guidelines and examples to accomplish standard things. When it comes to contributing drivers or anything hardware related I have no experience. I would guess a minimum of two years of learning before I would feel comfortable attempting a contribution.
This sort of stuff triggers me - they are giving their time and valuable skills freely, so there's not really any "should" here.They should be sharing more frequently with FreeBSD.