I report this in case it points a finger towards inadequate limit checking in the kernel: (how i managed to induce the bug, with my mangled ports make set up, doesn't worry me, it's the kernel reaction that is of interest )

As last line in my /etc/rc.local I used to have sysctl -w kern.maxproc=300 An innocent cd /usr/ports ; make -i would then always crash the system (even when compiled as normal user, & with everything in ports having been changed to owner jhs (thus no suid 0 stuff lurking in /usr/ports)).

I would merely get on console: Feb 19 11:38:32 vector kernel.nu: proc: table is full (The system was forking a series of nominal ncftp's & makes recursively)