I've sort of pursued this idea for a while now, but one of the major
areas where SPARC-based laptops (and also desktops, if they want it)
lack is wifi support. We have excellent solutions for Intel/AMD
platforms, but right now the only SPARC solutions available are fairly
low end 802.11b chips, without WPA support.
The tragedy here is that this gap is *easily* solved, with only a small
amount of effort. Basically, the problem is that we need a HAL layer,
then we could use Atheros devices on SPARC platforms. The HAL itself is
portable, and mostly we just need one that is recompiled for Solaris
SPARC. (The Linux SPARC one won't work because our kernel needs some
slightly different compiler flags.)
Sam Leffler of Errno Consulting once told me, while I was employed at
Tadpole, that he'd be willing to do the work, and commit to sustaining
the Solaris SPARC platform for the HAL layer, if someone would pay him
some money up front. (Its probably on the order of a couple thousand
dollars.) This is how he makes his living, so it isn't unreasonable.
(And nobody else can do this work, as only he has access to the HAL
source code, although I believe Atheros has a copy in escrow as well.)
Over the course of the last few years, I asked around, and failed to
drum up enough interest from the companies that should care most --
Tadpole and Sun. So now I'm going to the field where there may be folks
with these platforms.
I'm willing to coordinate the effort, act as a treasurer, or whatever,
and ultimately manage the process of getting the bits integrated into
ON. But I can't afford to pay Sam entirely out of my own pocket.
However, I'll put up $50 to the cause. If other folks are interested
in contributing, please let me know. Once I know that we have enough to
pay Sam to do the work, I'll work out a way to get Sam paid.
Btw, I would still love to hear from any of the SPARC laptop vendors, if
they wanted to fund the work themselves (either in whole or in part).
Those of you who have purchased SPARC laptops from a vendor can forward
this e-mail to them.
-- Garrett
