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Path: euryale.cc.adfa.oz.au!newshost.anu.edu.au!harbinger.cc.monash.edu.au!simtel!news.kei.com!news.mathworks.com!newsfeed.internetmci.com!news.sprintlink.net!sundog.tiac.net!usenet From: Jim Williams <williams@tiac.net> Newsgroups: comp.os.linux.advocacy,comp.unix.bsd.freebsd.misc Subject: Re: FreeBSD's strengths Date: 23 Aug 1995 17:44:27 GMT Organization: Elision Lines: 37 Message-ID: <41fpdr$bpg@sundog.tiac.net> References: <40t97j$4rp@mksrv1.dseg.ti.com> <40u0ar$jhf@sundog.tiac.net> <4197o1$gia@gate.sinica.edu.tw> <41cl4t$1tb@bonnie.tcd-dresden.de> <41er00$s0d@news.cloud9.net> NNTP-Posting-Host: elision.tiac.net Mime-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset=us-ascii Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit X-Mailer: Mozilla 1.1N (Windows; I; 16bit) Xref: euryale.cc.adfa.oz.au comp.os.linux.advocacy:16966 comp.unix.bsd.freebsd.misc:4645 tls@cloud9.net (Thor Lancelot Simon) wrote: > >There are many ways to skin a cat. Linux represents one end of the spectrum, >with almost no version control, kernels slapped together seemingly as an >afterthought from the almost independent work of many people, and no standard >set of user-land programs. NetBSD and CSRG BSD are the other end, with >careful design and a small group of core developers enforcing a style and >single set of standards on the entire work. FreeBSD is somewhere in the >middle, it seems. > I'm not very fond of the way you described how Linux is done, but other than that you are esentially correct -- and I think it's a good idea to have several approaches. With Linux there is version control -- just not tight version control, and the kernels certainly are not an afterthought. The way Linux is developed leads to very responsive -- if somewhat chaotic -- development. Not necessarily the type of kernel you want to run a nuke power plant upon, but rather the type of kernel you'd want to run current Internet applications on -- it's going to be a bit more responsive to changing needs. Linux is also going to have more say in actually changing those needs. As I see it, it would be nice if the Free Unices were well enough coordinated that I could easily choose a different kernel for my different needs. One kernel for my Web server, another for my desktop, and a third to run my house. I think of Linux as a fairly agressive OS which is willing to take on the marketplace head-to-head. I still haven't fingured out how to view NetBSD and FreeBSD. -- Jim Williams. Find a Linux/GNU User Group near you: http://www.tiac.net/users/williams/lugnuts/