Date: Wed, 7 Jan 2004 05:48:36 +0100 (CET) From: "Cordula's Web" <cpghost@cordula.ws> To: udo.schroeter@trionic-solutions.de Cc: freebsd-questions@FreeBSD.org Subject: Re: Commercial Distribution? Message-ID: <200401070448.i074mai0069465@fw.farid-hajji.net> In-Reply-To: <02be01c3d489$39f5bd40$9800210a@SCHROETBERT> (message from =?Windows-1252?Q?Udo_Schr=F6ter_=28Trionic_Technologies=29?= on Tue, 6 Jan 2004 20:13:50 %2B0100) References: <024e01c3d471$5998b980$9800210a@SCHROETBERT> <02be01c3d489$39f5bd40$9800210a@SCHROETBERT>
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> Btw, I looked really carefully and couldn't find any FreeBSD-based > commercial distro (if you don't count OS X). Am I just to stupid to find one > or is this an idea whose time has not come yet? A Linux distro vendor basically collects components from disparate sources (kernel, gnu, libraries etc...) and assembles a OS. There is no central entity which provides an integrated view of a Linux OS, so there is a need for distro makers. FreeBSD is different, because the complete OS is developed and managed by the project, including ports. There is basically no need for a distro maker, because FreeBSD _is_ the distro itself (call it the _canonical_ distro, because nothing prevents you from changing stuff and forking off a commercial version, let's call it non-canonical "distro"). Any distro maker who wishes to fork off something from FreeBSD, would be hard pressed to provide the same level of support as the FreeBSD project itself. Any updates, security and bug fixes etc. would have to be merged into the commercial distro (if it wants to remain up-to-date), and this will by nature always lag behind. It is usually not worth the trouble to maintain a distribution besides FreeBSD. That is also the reason why commercial vendors usually ship (nearly) unmodified FreeBSD CDs, instead of maintining a completely different version. In your special case, the advice to make a port that was given earlier on this list, is very good, because you'd have to maintain your port(s) (and only your port(s)) whenever you update your commercial distro from the FreeBSD repo (which you could do as often as you like and your resources and time permits). What if a security bug is discovered, and immediately fixed by FreeBSD? Would you commit yourself to do the same in your commercial version? Just cvsup, and then apply your port(s) and voila, a new fixed commercial version! Ports are great, because you could even include diffs to the kernel (you have a custom kernel?) and misc. config and infrastructure files that make up the system. Turn that port into a package, and have the package system handle the transmogrification of an official FreeBSD snapshot into your own custom version. Good luck! -- Cordula's Web. http://www.cordula.ws/
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