From owner-freebsd-questions@FreeBSD.ORG Sun Nov 13 02:01:06 2011 Return-Path: Delivered-To: freebsd-questions@freebsd.org Received: from mx1.freebsd.org (mx1.freebsd.org [IPv6:2001:4f8:fff6::34]) by hub.freebsd.org (Postfix) with ESMTP id 087EE106566B for ; Sun, 13 Nov 2011 02:01:06 +0000 (UTC) (envelope-from perryh@pluto.rain.com) Received: from agora.rdrop.com (agora.rdrop.com [IPv6:2607:f678:1010::34]) by mx1.freebsd.org (Postfix) with ESMTP id C17C98FC08 for ; Sun, 13 Nov 2011 02:01:05 +0000 (UTC) Received: from agora.rdrop.com (66@localhost [127.0.0.1]) by agora.rdrop.com (8.13.1/8.12.7) with ESMTP id pAD212CM071863 (version=TLSv1/SSLv3 cipher=DHE-RSA-AES256-SHA bits=256 verify=NOT); Sat, 12 Nov 2011 18:01:03 -0800 (PST) (envelope-from perryh@pluto.rain.com) Received: (from uucp@localhost) by agora.rdrop.com (8.13.1/8.12.9/Submit) with UUCP id pAD2121v071862; Sat, 12 Nov 2011 18:01:02 -0800 (PST) Received: from fbsd81 ([192.168.200.81]) by pluto.rain.com (4.1/SMI-4.1-pluto-M2060407) id AA25042; Sat, 12 Nov 11 17:48:41 PST Date: Sun, 13 Nov 2011 00:48:29 -0800 From: perryh@pluto.rain.com To: cpghost@cordula.ws Message-Id: <4ebf845d.Juuq2+mavLhMWmF6%perryh@pluto.rain.com> References: <4EBE2D07.8080005@comcast.net> In-Reply-To: User-Agent: nail 11.25 7/29/05 Mime-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset=us-ascii Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit Cc: Unix.Hacker@comcast.net, freebsd-questions@freebsd.org Subject: Re: What are the technical differences between Linux and BSD? X-BeenThere: freebsd-questions@freebsd.org X-Mailman-Version: 2.1.5 Precedence: list List-Id: User questions List-Unsubscribe: , List-Archive: List-Post: List-Help: List-Subscribe: , X-List-Received-Date: Sun, 13 Nov 2011 02:01:06 -0000 "C. P. Ghost" wrote: > On Sat, Nov 12, 2011 at 9:23 AM, Allen wrote: > > ... > > Linux uses System V style Init. It's BASED on SunOS. Linus > > Torvalds said that when he started working on Linux, his reason > > for doing so, was that he wanted to run on HIS computer, the > > same thing he had been using at the University, which, was > > SunOS. He said his early inspiration for Linux was SunOS. > > > > Just because it uses System V init doesn't mean it's actually > > based on it... > > Yes, but I guess that Linus probably used early versions of SunOS 4 > which were not only BSD-based, but also not yet SysV-ied. If the inspiration for Linux was SunOS, it had to have been one of SunOS 3.x, SunOS 4.x aka Solaris 1.x, or SunOS 5.x aka Solaris 2.x. * SunOS 3.x and 4.x are ports of BSD 4.2 and/or 4.3 to Sun hardware. * SunOS 5.x is a port of System V Release 4 to Sun hardware -- and SVR4 was supposed to be the integration of BSD with the AT&T code base (although there's wide belief that BSD got the short end of the stick). Either way that leaves Linux as inspired by BSD, directly or indirectly. Whatever the inspiration, my understanding is that the detailed _specification_ came from SysV -- the original Linux having been Linus' independent reimplementation of the System V Interface Definition -- and that's the reason for it having used the SysV initialization approach.