What's new since FAQ 2.0.32 (January 7):
virgefb driver).
This is an updated version of the Linux/m68k Frequently Asked Questions file (or FAQ). Since it probably contains errors (typographical and logical), outdated and missing information, and other significant problems, I ask that you send feedback and corrections to me.
This document is not intended to describe what Linux or Unix is or how to administrate it. To find out more about that read the standard Linux books and manuals. I particularly recommend Matt Welsh's two books: Linux Installation and Getting Started published by the LDP and available in print from SSC, and Running Linux, Second Edition available from O'Reilly and Associates (co-written with Lar Kaufman), which expands greatly on the content of the previous book (if you can only afford one Linux book, get this one). See section Books for more details.
For questions about Linux in general, I recommend that you read the Linux INFO-SHEET. This document, along with many others about Linux, is available at the Linux Documentation Project's home page.
This FAQ was created and originally maintained by Jörg Mayer <jmayer@telemation.de>. It is now maintained by Chris Lawrence <quango@ix.netcom.com>.
If you have a link to an obsolete version (1.x) of the FAQ, please change it to the new location as listed below.
The latest revision is available in HTML format, suitable for reading with a World Wide Web browser (such as Netscape, Lynx, Arena, etc.), at http://www.linux-m68k.org/faq/faq.html or http://www.clark.net/pub/lawrencc/linux/faq/faq.html. It is also mirrored daily in Germany at http://ftp.uni-erlangen.de/pub/Linux/680x0/FAQ/faq.html and in Norway at http://amiga.nvg.org/linux/mirrors/lawrencc/faq/faq.html.
There is a French translation of the FAQ available at http://web.cnam.fr/Comp/Atari/Linux68k/Faq/, translated by Christian Jacolot.
Il y a un traduction francais du FAQ; on peut le retrouver a http://web.cnam.fr/Comp/Atari/Linux68k/Faq/. Il est traduit par Christian Jacolot.
Linuxdoc-SGML source for this FAQ, as well as plain text, PostScript, Portable Document Format (PDF), DVI and LaTeX conversions, are available at ftp://ftp.clark.net/pub/lawrencc/linux/faq/.
A pointer to this FAQ is supposed to be posted every two weeks to the Usenet newsgroups comp.os.linux.m68k, comp.os.linux.answers, comp.unix.amiga, maus.os.linux68k, comp.arch.bus.vmebus, comp.sys.amiga.misc comp.sys.atari.st, comp.sys.m68k, comp.answers, and news.answers. The entire FAQ is not posted to Usenet because it is ridiculously large.
From now on, the first two parts of the version number of this FAQ will follow the stable kernel's version number (i.e. when Linux/m68k kernel 2.2 is released, the next FAQ will be version 2.2.0). This has the side effect of skipping the developmental kernel versions numbered 2.1.x, 2.3.x, etc. The third portion of the version number is incremented every time this FAQ is revised.
Note that this FAQ is often updated between Usenet posts. Interim versions of the FAQ are made available at http://www.linux-m68k.org/faq/faq.html and http://www.clark.net/pub/lawrencc/linux/faq/faq.html.
This FAQ documents the 2.0 series of kernels. If you are currently using a 0.x or 1.2 series kernel, I recommend that you read the Linux/m68k 2.0 announcement (and all the documents it says to read) and then upgrade to a 2.0 kernel. The 0.x and 1.2 series of kernels are pretty much obsolete.
Most things said about 2.0 kernels apply also to the 2.1 development series, unless otherwise noted. I strongly recommend against trying to use the 2.1 kernels until you are accustomed to using Linux. On the other hand if you like kernel hacking, join the 2.1 party.
The latest versions of the kernel and boot loaders:
For current versions of other software, please refer to the
Changes document included in the kernel sources (also available
at
http://www.linuxhq.com/).
This is a brief section that answers a few questions about the Linux operating system. It is not intended to replace the real documentation about Linux, however.
Linux is a freely-distributable kernel and operating system that works virtually the same as UNIX. Unlike all other available truly UNIX-like operating systems (this means those that provide memory protection and virtual memory), it is built from the ground-up from scratch to comply with open standards. Currently, Linux complies with virtually all of the POSIX.1 standard (the only completely vendor-independent standard), and work is underway to finish work on compliance with the System V Interface Definition (SVID) and other commercially-established standards.
Linux was started in 1991 by Linus Torvalds, who at the time was an
undergraduate student in Compuer Science in Finland. While Linus is
no longer a starving college student, he continues to coordinate the
work on the kernel and makes significant contributions of his own.
The names of some of the other people who have contributed to the
Linux kernel can be found in the CREDITS and MAINTAINERS
files which are included with the Linux kernel sources.
More of Linux's history (particularly the history of Linux/m68k) is covered in the next section of the FAQ.
The Linux kernel is vaguely equivalent to the Kickstart under AmigaOS.
It provides basic services to the operating system, but that's about
it. Unlike AmigaOS, it requires at least one other program to launch
(a shell [command line interpeter] or a special program called
init). Without another program, you'll never even get to a
command prompt.
The Linux operating system is a collection of programs (such as interpreters, shells, utilities, applications, and daemons) and libraries that facilitate user interaction with the system. Much of the Linux operating system is derived from the Free Software Foundation's GNU project and the University of California at Berkeley Source Distribution of Unix (BSD). The Linux OS also includes software from other sources, some of which was written specifically for Linux.
For the most part, I use the term Linux as the generic term for both the operating system that most Linux users use and to refer specifically to the kernel. Others would use ``GNU/Linux'', or a distribution name (e.g. ``Red Hat Linux'', ``Slackware Linux'', or ``Debian GNU/Linux''), for the operating system, reserving ``Linux'' strictly for the kernel. Suffice it to say it's not worth the effort to try to convince me to adopt this alternative terminology (you can start the GNU/Linux/m68k FAQ if you like :-).
Where the distinction between one meaning of Linux and another is unclear, I apologize in advance.
Additional information about a number of 680x0-based systems is available at Joaquin Menchaca's hardware pages.
The Amiga was the first 680x0-based computer to have Linux ported to it. The first Amiga computer was the Amiga 1000, released in mid-1985. It featured a 68000 processor running at 7.14 Mhz, along with 256k of RAM.
The Amiga line has included quite a few models, including the Amiga 500, 600, 1200, 2000 (and its variants, like the 1500 and 2500), 3000 and 4000. The 3000T and 4000T are tower versions of the 3000 and 4000, respectively.
The Amiga line also includes the CDTV and CD-32 platforms, which are CD-ROM based Amigas. More recently, clones have appeared, like the DraCo.
The Atari 32-bit series was the second platform to receive an implementation of Linux/m68k. The Atari machines were launched with the release of the ST520 in mid-1985.
The Atari line includes the ST models, TT and Falcon. There have also been a number of Atari clones, including the Medusa.
The port of Linux/m68k to the Macintosh platform is still ongoing. The Macintosh was the first popular 680x0-based machine; it was released in 1984.
There have been dozens of different 680x0-based Macintoshes. A fairly comprehensive overview can be found at the Linux/m68k on Macintosh site, http://www.mac.linux-m68k.org/index.html.
(written by Richard Hirst)
Motorola has released a number of single-board systems using the 680x0 processors, based on the VME bus standard. More information on these systems is available at Motorola's web site.
The NeXT workstations were produced by NeXT Computer, Inc., starting in the late 1980s and ending in 1994. The workstations were made in two configurations: the NeXT Cube and NeXTstation (a.k.a. ``the slab'').
The NeXT Cube came in 68030 and 68040-based configurations, while the slabs were produced later and came with 68040's only. 68040-based models came in 25mhz and 33mhz (Turbo) editions.
The basic NeXTs came with 4-grayscale video (black, white and two shades of gray). Color NeXTs are capable of 12-bit color, or 4096-color video output (16 levels of red, green and blue). NeXT also produced the NeXT Dimension board for the cubes, which was capable of 24-bit color.
NeXTs ran the NeXTStep operating system; however, current versions of that OS (now called OpenStep) no longer support the original (``black'') m68k-based hardware; this has made a Linux port to the NeXT particularly attractive. More information can be found at the Black Linux pages, http://www.black.linux-m68k.org/.
Any takers?