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Xref: sserve comp.os.386bsd.misc:2781 comp.os.linux.misc:20094 Newsgroups: comp.os.386bsd.misc,comp.os.linux.misc Path: sserve!newshost.anu.edu.au!harbinger.cc.monash.edu.au!bunyip.cc.uq.oz.au!munnari.oz.au!spool.mu.edu!howland.reston.ans.net!swrinde!pipex!sunic!trane.uninett.no!eunet.no!nuug!EU.net!uunet!world!lparsons From: lparsons@world.std.com (Lee E Parsons) Subject: Usefulness of BSD/Linux Source Knowledge (was BSD vs. LINUX) Message-ID: <CtEuyA.En1@world.std.com> Organization: The World Public Access UNIX, Brookline, MA References: <30jqp1$ees@grex.cyberspace.org> <1994Jul21.182603.15882@belvedere.sbay.org> <2NsBkiCqLiLU068yn@cs.odu.edu> <30pn0a$9rf@hermes.unt.edu> Date: Sat, 23 Jul 1994 20:44:34 GMT Lines: 36 Bruce Jackson <jackson@replicant.replicant.csci.unt.edu> wrote: >Jaguar <Michael Olson> <Michael Olson> wrote: > >If you are wanting something close to SunOS that I think that would >like FreeBSD better then Linux. While Linux is a great system in it's >own right (I've run both) FreeBSD will make folks who cut their teeth >on SunOS and other BSD based systems feel right at home. Which brings up the reason I went BSD instead of Linux. When I set up my PC I didn't just want a unix at home. I wanted a unix at home I could hack, destroy, change and review. And I wanted all of these things with the assurence that what I was learning during the above process had some applicability to something other than Linux. My thought was that since the BSD's where based on 4.3BSD I could look over their source and atleast part of the time have a reasonable idea of how Ultrix/SunOS works. (Platform specific issues aside ofcourse) And since everybody 'liberated' parts of BSD, I would have atleast a hint of how parts of everything else works. With Linux I felt I would be spending my time learning the guts of a system written by Linus. While that may be very educational it doesnt do much for my ability to say "Our OS works like THIS" Before somebody flames me let me provide an example. If I wanted to understand how Ultrix computes the loadaverage I could go to FreeBSD and get a pretty good idea how it is done. Where does Linux get its code for the loadaverage? Is it a total rewrite? If so how can I make any other choice except FreeBSD. Am I not putting enough faith in Linux? Too much in FreeBSD? -- Regards, Lee E. Parsons Systems Oracle DBA lparsons@world.std.com