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The '''BSD''' (an acronym for 'Berkeley Software Distribution') systems are a family of [[Unix]] operating systems that were developed at the University of California, Berkeley during the 70s, 80s, and 90s, building atop the UNIX v6 and UNIX 32/V releases from Bell Labs.
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As a result of their permissive open-source licensing, the BSDs frequently see their work incorporated in other systems. For example, [[Microsoft]]'s [[Windows]] OS has a TCP/IP stack derived from BSD.
The '''BSD''' or Berkeley Software Distribution family of operating systems are derivatives of [[Unix]] that were once developed at the Computer Science Research Group at the University of California, Berkeley during the 70s, 80s, and 90s, building atop the UNIX v6 and UNIX 32/V releases from Bell Labs. In the late 80s and early 90s the CSRG worked on replacing encumbered AT&T code with their own and released Net/2. The release by BSDI of BSD/386 led to a lawsuit from AT&T as they claimed that Net/2 still contained AT&T code but was sold to those without AT&T licences. Out of the settlement of the lawsuit came the CSRG's last release, 4.4BSD-Lite, from which modern BSD systems are based upon (along with 386BSD).


There are 6 main BSD operating systems in use today; these are [[FreeBSD]], a general purpose OS; [[OpenBSD]], an OS acclaimed for its security principles and notable head, Theo de Rats; [[NetBSD]], which is a BSD designed for running in household appliances such as toasters; [[OS X]], a proprietary desktop from [[Apple]]; and [[Dragonfly BSD]], a derivative of an older release of FreeBSD that introduces a new multiprocessing paradigm, while being suitable for desktop use and attempting to revive the spirit of [[AmigaOS]] for the 21st century. [[PCBSD]], which is made for simplicity and ease of use and is a direct derivative of FreeBSD.
As a result of the permissive and simple BSD Licence (see [[Licenses]]), the BSDs frequently see their work incorporated in other systems. For example, [[Windows]] NT 3.1 used the Berkeley TCP/IP stack, and Juniper Networks hardware uses a derivative of BSD called JunOS. BSD was where the vi editor was first developed and released.


==BSD's current status==
There are many BSD operating systems in use today:
 
* [[FreeBSD]], built for general purpose use, found for example in the PlayStation 4.
It is now official. Netcraft has confirmed: *BSD is dying
* [[OpenBSD]], acclaimed for it's security principles and outspoken head developer Theo de Raadt.
 
* [https://www.netbsd.org/ NetBSD], built for high portability to as many platforms and architectures as possible.
One more crippling bombshell hit the already beleaguered *BSD community when IDC confirmed that *BSD market share has dropped yet again, now down to less than a fraction of 1 percent of all servers. Coming on the heels of a recent Netcraft survey which plainly states that *BSD has lost more market share, this news serves to reinforce what we've known all along. *BSD is collapsing in complete disarray, as fittingly exemplified by failing dead last [samag.com] in the recent Sys Admin comprehensive networking test.  
* [[DragonflyBSD]], a fork of FreeBSD that introduces a new multiprocessing paradigm and the HAMMER file system while being suitable for desktop use and attempting to revive the spirit of AmigaOS for the 21st century.
 
* TrueOS (formerly PC-BSD), a derivative of FreeBSD that is designed as a friendly and easy to use desktop operating system based on KDE.
You don't need to be the Amazing Kreskin [amazingkreskin.com] to predict *BSD's future. The hand writing is on the wall: *BSD faces a bleak future. In fact there won't be any future at all for *BSD because *BSD is dying. Things are looking very bad for *BSD. As many of us are already aware, *BSD continues to lose market share. Red ink flows like a river of blood.  
* MidnightBSD, another fork of FreeBSD that uses the Etoile/GNUstep environment that is similar to NeXTSTEP.
 
* GhostBSD, yet another fork of FreeBSD, combined with MATE desktop environment and a focus on user-friendliness.
FreeBSD is the most endangered of them all, having lost 93% of its core developers. The sudden and unpleasant departures of long time FreeBSD developers Jordan Hubbard and Mike Smith only serve to underscore the point more clearly. There can no longer be any doubt: FreeBSD is dying.
* [[OS X]] (more specifically Darwin), the proprietary operating system from [[Apple]] used on Macintosh computers that has a distant relationship to FreeBSD.
 
Let's keep to the facts and look at the numbers.  
 
OpenBSD leader Theo states that there are 7000 users of OpenBSD. How many users of NetBSD are there? Let's see. The number of OpenBSD versus NetBSD posts on Usenet is roughly in ratio of 5 to 1. Therefore there are about 7000/5 = 1400 NetBSD users. BSD/OS posts on Usenet are about half of the volume of NetBSD posts. Therefore there are about 700 users of BSD/OS. A recent article put FreeBSD at about 80 percent of the *BSD market. Therefore there are (7000+1400+700)*4 = 36400 FreeBSD users. This is consistent with the number of FreeBSD Usenet posts.
 
Due to the troubles of Walnut Creek, abysmal sales and so on, FreeBSD went out of business and was taken over by BSDI who sell another troubled OS. Now BSDI is also dead, its corpse turned over to yet another charnel house.
 
All major surveys show that *BSD has steadily declined in market share. *BSD is very sick and its long term survival prospects are very dim. If *BSD is to survive at all it will be among OS dilettante dabblers. *BSD continues to decay. Nothing short of a miracle could save it at this point in time. For all practical purposes, *BSD is dead.  


[[Category:BSD]]
[[Category:Software]]
[[Category:Software]]
[[Category:Operating systems]]
[[Category:Operating systems]]

Latest revision as of 22:35, 27 June 2023

The BSD or Berkeley Software Distribution family of operating systems are derivatives of Unix that were once developed at the Computer Science Research Group at the University of California, Berkeley during the 70s, 80s, and 90s, building atop the UNIX v6 and UNIX 32/V releases from Bell Labs. In the late 80s and early 90s the CSRG worked on replacing encumbered AT&T code with their own and released Net/2. The release by BSDI of BSD/386 led to a lawsuit from AT&T as they claimed that Net/2 still contained AT&T code but was sold to those without AT&T licences. Out of the settlement of the lawsuit came the CSRG's last release, 4.4BSD-Lite, from which modern BSD systems are based upon (along with 386BSD).

As a result of the permissive and simple BSD Licence (see Licenses), the BSDs frequently see their work incorporated in other systems. For example, Windows NT 3.1 used the Berkeley TCP/IP stack, and Juniper Networks hardware uses a derivative of BSD called JunOS. BSD was where the vi editor was first developed and released.

There are many BSD operating systems in use today:

  • FreeBSD, built for general purpose use, found for example in the PlayStation 4.
  • OpenBSD, acclaimed for it's security principles and outspoken head developer Theo de Raadt.
  • NetBSD, built for high portability to as many platforms and architectures as possible.
  • DragonflyBSD, a fork of FreeBSD that introduces a new multiprocessing paradigm and the HAMMER file system while being suitable for desktop use and attempting to revive the spirit of AmigaOS for the 21st century.
  • TrueOS (formerly PC-BSD), a derivative of FreeBSD that is designed as a friendly and easy to use desktop operating system based on KDE.
  • MidnightBSD, another fork of FreeBSD that uses the Etoile/GNUstep environment that is similar to NeXTSTEP.
  • GhostBSD, yet another fork of FreeBSD, combined with MATE desktop environment and a focus on user-friendliness.
  • OS X (more specifically Darwin), the proprietary operating system from Apple used on Macintosh computers that has a distant relationship to FreeBSD.