Return to BSD News archive
Xref: sserve comp.os.386bsd.misc:2865 comp.os.linux.misc:20421 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!agate!library.ucla.edu!csulb.edu!csus.edu!netcom.com!netcomsv!calcite!vjs From: vjs@calcite.rhyolite.com (Vernon Schryver) Subject: Re: source of TCP/IP (was I hope this wont ignite a major flame ...) Message-ID: <CtMp4G.7Ap@calcite.rhyolite.com> Organization: Rhyolite Software Date: Thu, 28 Jul 1994 02:19:27 GMT References: <DHOLLAND.94Jul25171448@scws33.harvard.edu> <CtKBJ5.77B@rex.uokhsc.edu> <3163r7$440@quagga.ru.ac.za> Lines: 40 In article <3163r7$440@quagga.ru.ac.za> csgr@cs.ru.ac.za writes: >In <CtKBJ5.77B@rex.uokhsc.edu> ben@rex.uokhsc.edu (Benjamin Z. Goldsteen) writes: > >>Linux is about the only UNIX-alike that doesn't base their TCP/IP code >>on BSD's. >I guess you don't consider SYSV to be a UNIX-alike OS ;-) The AT&T/USL System V TCP/IP source I have seen, SVR3 and SVR4, is absolutely clearly based on 4.3BSD. To see this for yourself, do a side-by-side `diff` of your favorite SVR* tape with 4.3BSD-reno, ignoring indentation, the obvious hacks to STREAMize the code, the few unnecessary changes to comments, and the missing Univ. of Calif. Regent's copyrights. If you do not have access to System V and BSD source, read between the lines of the settlement of the University's lawsuit against USL. I've used such diff's to silence loud, know-nothing managers spouting USL propaganda about the wonderfulness of SVR4 TCP/IP. As far as I know, besides Linux, there is only the new version of Sun's TCP/IP that is based on what they say is a complete rewrite using Mentat STREAMS. Not basing your TCP/IP on 4.3BSD is nothing to brag about, if only because it is harder to interoperate with as many other systems if you are not feature-for-feature and bug-for-bug identical to the de facto standard. The current and former Sun employees I've spoken to, those who worked on the new Sun code, told me that the decision to not use the 4.3BSD TCP/IP was a result of a managerial panic attack and a serious mistake that is only now being recovered from. The single consistent, non-trival, bad thing I've heard about Linux is that it's network code is, to put it politely, not as good as it will be someday. Given the fact that BSD network code has always been absolutely free for the taking (requiring only those pesky copyright notices that AT&T/USL removed from the SVR3 and SVR4 network code), I've never understood why Linux does not use the best available network code, BSD's. Vernon Schryver vjs@rhyolite.com