*BSD News Article 55976


Return to BSD News archive

Newsgroups: comp.os.linux.advocacy,comp.unix.bsd.freebsd.misc,comp.unix.advocacy,comp.unix.misc
Path: euryale.cc.adfa.oz.au!newshost.anu.edu.au!harbinger.cc.monash.edu.au!news.mel.connect.com.au!yarrina.connect.com.au!munnari.OZ.AU!spool.mu.edu!howland.reston.ans.net!newsfeed.internetmci.com!news.sprintlink.net!news1!not-for-mail
From: root@dyson.iquest.net (John S. Dyson)
Subject: Re: Linux vs FreeBSD
X-Nntp-Posting-Host: dyson.iquest.net
Message-ID: <49uc6u$nm@dyson.iquest.net>
Sender: news@iquest.net (News Admin)
Organization: John S. Dyson's home machine
References: <489kuu$rbo@pelican.cs.ucla.edu> <49qa85$q80@agate.berkeley.edu> <49s8d8$96@dyson.iquest.net> <49u2cb$83d@daffy.anetsrvcs.uwrf.edu>
Date: Mon, 4 Dec 1995 08:41:02 GMT
Lines: 48
Xref: euryale.cc.adfa.oz.au comp.os.linux.advocacy:29033 comp.unix.bsd.freebsd.misc:9722 comp.unix.advocacy:11666 comp.unix.misc:19789

In article <49u2cb$83d@daffy.anetsrvcs.uwrf.edu>,
BENJAMIN A LINDSTROM <bl03@uwrf.edu> wrote:
>John S. Dyson (root@dyson.iquest.net) wrote:
>: 
>: Regarding the CVS tree, there are some issues that are difficult to
>: resolve, but at least FreeBSD/NetBSD has coherent source code control
>: management!!!  Since 58 people from all over the world have CVS access, 
>: isn't that pretty darn open??? -- how many people can make a commit to the Linux
>: kernel for example???  (It doesn't answer the question to say that you
>: can edit your own copy :-)).
>: 
>Patches can be submitted from anyone to Linus, and from what it sounds like
>if it's driver related and once you've establisted that you are working on
>it you can get your patches released in the next patch.
>
We strive for that in FreeBSD also -- there is really no one person that
does this since FreeBSD is truely cooperative, as opposed to being run
by one person.

>
>Other patches don't quite get into the kernel because. a) out of date betime
>they get there.. or b) It breaks other things.
>
So Linus has full control over the kernel...  Does not even look like a
cooperative or open effort to me.  I know of about 5-10 people that commit
(make changes to the SOURCES directly) to the FreeBSD kernel regularly.  Of
course, they are generally careful enough and mature enough to coordinate
their efforts.  Each of those people take submissions and evaluate their
appropriateness.  (Note that there is a much larger group that makes
commits to the FreeBSD kernel or system, but I am just talking here about
the regular committers.)

It would be nice to see the Linux CVS tree opened up (especially from all
of the Linux vendors)!!!  Or perhaps daily or hourly source updates be
made available at an easily accessable site.  We are striving to do so
on FreeBSD and have had the source available at least daily for a very
long time -- since FreeBSD is an open development!!!!  FreeBSD
does really have a CVS tree for all of its sources -- we are working to
open it up -- but there are lots of issues, many of which are not under our
control.  Since the CVS tree is very large, and the machine that it resides
on only has a T1, there are also distribution and *consistancy* issues.  For
example, if the tree is mirrored, there can be significant amounts of time
where the tree is inconsistant.  (FreeBSD is getting more and more popular
and the bandwidth needs are tremendous.)

John
dyson@freebsd.org