[9fans] Plan9 on laptops/netbooks

["Rubén Berenguel" <ruben@mostlymaths.net>]

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Hi all,

I'm wondering if I can get a somewhat working native Plan9 installation in
any of my "spare" machines. They would be (in order of more sparey to less
sparey)

Acer Aspire One (ZG5)
Acer TravelMate 4001 LMi
Acer Aspire 5865 WLMi (or something similar, quoting from memory)
Intel Macbook (Early 2008 IIRC)

I don't ask for much: USB support and some networking support (Wifi
preferably, ethernet acceptable). I already have Plan9 installed in the
Travelmate, but looks like neither the wireless card (an Intel, but not the
recently released drivers on 9front) nor the ethernet card (Broadcom) are
meant to work with Plan9, so no luck here as far as I can tell. I may be
wrong, I'd be happy then :)

I have tried USB booting the Aspire One, with no luck either. The 9legacy
USB image hangs in the known "bios into real mode" something, the 9front
usbboot procedure does not boot either. I get as far as mbr pbs ok, but
nothing else. Hangs there, without reading from the USB. From some hints
I've read here and there, it looks like it may boot, but can't tell how.
I'd love this stupid little machine to have Plan9, native... So far it runs
Arch with Fluxbox, which is a decent lightweight system.

I have not tried the Aspire 5865 (yet) but I'm not any more hopeful it can
work as the TravelMate does not work.

I have not tried the Macbook either, since as a "last" resort I can run it
in qemu with a kind of decent speed. Also, this is my work machine until I
get a new one this week or the next

Would any of these machines offer at least my requirements, which are
basically "work"? I already have a Raspberry Pi with Plan9, works correctly
but it's not as portable as I'd like (and my router is upstairs with no
ethernet cabling towards where my TV sits...).

Thanks,

Ruben

PS: I don't have any kind of love relation with Acers. The Travelmate was
an old laptop I was given to see if I could use it for something, I bought
the Aspire for a trip where I needed something lightweight and less
valuable than my Mac, back in the day.) But they are not that bad: all
still boot and work after the years :)

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