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Path: sserve!newshost.anu.edu.au!munnari.oz.au!spool.mu.edu!howland.reston.ans.net!europa.eng.gtefsd.com!MathWorks.Com!noc.near.net!news.delphi.com!usenet From: John Dyson <dysonj@delphi.com> Newsgroups: comp.unix.bsd Subject: Re: Where do we go from here? Date: Sun, 24 Apr 94 20:34:32 -0500 Organization: Delphi (info@delphi.com email, 800-695-4005 voice) Lines: 35 Message-ID: <R0zt7NQ.dysonj@delphi.com> References: <2p9fur$kin@zenos.physci.psu.edu> NNTP-Posting-Host: delphi.com X-To: Dan Cross <tenser@zenos.physci.psu.edu> Dan Cross <tenser@zenos.physci.psu.edu> writes: >Now that the UCB has stopped working on BSD, bell labs has discontinued work >on the 10th edition research UNIX, and Novell has bought USL, who is going to >keep UNIX alive? Also, who is going to provide the scientific community with >the top technical operating system in the world? Is UNIX just going to fade >off into oblivion? (heh, sorry if this sounds morbid...) Anyway, how is UNIX >going to keep being advanced if no one but commercial vendors are working on >it? Oh well, just some passing thoughts... On FreeBSD, there are at least 2 people working almost FULL TIME trying to get the platform updated. We have made some significant, basic improvements for future ports. For example, we found some *major* performance bottlenecks in the VM system and improved it. In fact, our paging algorithm is *vastly* improved. We are trying to improve the quality of the platform and trying to continue forward movement. I wish that I had time to write some papers on it, because there are some innovative changes. (Many people will not feel that the work is legitimate until it is published :-(). We will soon (probably) have most of the nifty features of Linux, while be a true BSD. FreeBSD is going to be updated to a 4.4 base, with all of the enhancements that we have made. I wish we could enlist additional help. I *really* would like to get some academic help in some algorithm research. We are *really* going to implement a nifty merged VM/Buffer cache and other neat things. Unfortunately, few people on FreeBSD have seen 4.4 and so we are waiting for the 4.4lite release before starting further work. We could use some sort of structure for support. FreeBSD is for example costing me approx $1k/mo to keep my work going, and I am working at least 20Hrs/wk. (And some weeks -- when in a lull on my $$ projects, 80Hrs/wk.) There are individuals/groups interested in FreeBSD, and many of us are truely interested in perpetuating this great tool. John dyson@implode.root.com