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From: cmott@srv.net (Charles Mott)
Newsgroups: comp.unix.bsd.freebsd.misc
Subject: Re: Power of FreeBSD
Date: Mon, 28 Apr 1997 19:15:29 -0700
Organization: SRVNet
Lines: 59
Message-ID: <cmott-2804971915440001@192.168.0.5>
References: <3363DC2C.55F604BC@obluda.kolej.mff.cuni.cz>
NNTP-Posting-Host: ras673.srv.net
Xref: euryale.cc.adfa.oz.au comp.unix.bsd.freebsd.misc:39944
In article <3363DC2C.55F604BC@obluda.kolej.mff.cuni.cz>, Dan Lukes
<dan@obluda.kolej.mff.cuni.cz> wrote:
> There is DES challenge attack organized at Stockholm, Sweden.
>
> In list of supplied power by platforms you can see FreeBSD
> at the dishonourable 6th place. It is far-away after Win32
> and Linux. Althought I and my friends add 3% to whole FreeBSD
> power, we can't take the rest of the world.
>
> So, if you have a free CPU cycle (client is low priority task)
> and you want devote it to "The Glory of the FreeBSD" ;-)
> join the project. See http://www.des.sollentuna.se .
>
> Oh well, I know, this is a little off-topic, so sorry.
>
> Dan
>
The newsgroup title does have .misc in it, so I don't think
you are being that off-topic. From the website you mention:
Platform Total Blocks
======== ============
1 Win32 (Intel) 715016
2 Linux (Intel) 548637
3 Solaris 397760
4 OSF/1 (Alpha) 118189
5 IRIX (mips) 96461
6 FreeBSD (Intel) 45204
7 SunOS (Sparc) 21981
8 HPUX (PA-RISC) 13821
9 Linux (Alpha) 10391
Earlier this year, I looked at a certain class of
usenet postings for which it was possible to determine
the operating system. An Alta Vista query obtained a
Linux/FreeBSD ratio fairly close to the 12:1 figure
we observe above.
Since Linux and FreeBSD users are fairly similar
bunch (many of us have used both), their tendency
to participate in such a project is about the same.
(Counter-example: this is probably not true for a
linux/wintel comparison.) It may be reasonable to
guess that the FreeBSD user base is about 8% of
the Linux base.
I don't think that FreeBSD users should feel bad
about this. I think it is a strength of the free
software world that it can support as many variations
of unix as it does. (I still have to give OpenBSD and
NetBSD a try someday).
Is an individual citizen of a small country really
disadvantaged in comparison to one who lives in
a large country?
Charles Mott