*BSD News Article 65559


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From: michael@memra.com (Michael Dillon)
Newsgroups: comp.unix.bsd.freebsd.misc
Subject: FreeBSD is clearly superior to Linux
Date: 9 Apr 1996 19:09:34 -0700
Organization: Memra Software Inc. - Internet consulting - http://www.memra.com
Lines: 43
Message-ID: <4kf58u$cn6@sidhe.memra.com>
References: <4issad$h1o@nadine.teleport.com> <315E0F1A.4E3FB53D@lucon.org> <Pine.LNX.3.91.960401105810.31921A-100000@gallup.cia-g.com> <4jso8v$n5i@dyson.iquest.net>
NNTP-Posting-Host: sidhe.memra.com

In article <4jso8v$n5i@dyson.iquest.net>,
John S. Dyson <root@dyson.iquest.net> wrote:
>In article <Pine.LNX.3.91.960401105810.31921A-100000@gallup.cia-g.com>,
>Stephen Fisher  <lithium@cia-g.com> wrote:

>It would be silly to switch to ELF right now.  We are not going to for
>at least six months (prob a year) -- even though a contributor already has
>most of the support working.  I am very very happy that our ELF capability is
>being improved, and is working nicely on FreeBSD-current now. We will have the
>support really really debugged instead of subjecting the user base to
>unnecessary trauma.  Even if/when we go to full ELF, we will and must maintain
>a.out support (and probably a.out code generation included) for years.

This is the number 1 primary difference between FreeBSD and Linux. 
FreeBSD developpment is managed by a professional team who understand
that many people run UNICes because they need solid atble supported
systems. These people do not want flavour-of-the-month OSes such as Linux 
or the ones Microsoft supplies. They don't want their OS to be orphaned 
the way Microsoft any many Linux people just jump ship on tried and true 
technology just because it is not fashionable any more. 

Maybe Linux will adopt a similar managed approach someday, but for now 
there is no comparison.

>Maybe in fewer words:  why rush it and subject lots of users to unnecessary
>problems? :-). 

AKA if it ain't broke, don't fix it.

> The release based upon -current most likely will have full
>ELF execution and development support.  So if someone really wants ELF, they
>will be able to use it. 

Exactly! Give people the choice of running less-proven code, but maintain
an up to date stable release for people who cringe at the idea of 
trusting their data to bleeding edge code.



-- 
Michael Dillon                                    Voice: +1-604-546-8022
Memra Software Inc.                                 Fax: +1-604-546-3049
http://www.memra.com                             E-mail: michael@memra.com