Date: Fri, 23 Jul 1999 15:54:18 +0200 From: Jeroen Ruigrok/Asmodai <asmodai@wxs.nl> To: Robert LaThanh <hybrid@pearlmagik.com> Cc: freebsd-questions@FreeBSD.ORG Subject: Re: FreeBSD. FreeBSD & Linux. FreeBSD & me. Message-ID: <19990723155418.A11222@daemon.ninth-circle.org> In-Reply-To: <37985E8F.C4D8375D@pearlmagik.com>; from Robert LaThanh on Fri, Jul 23, 1999 at 05:22:39AM -0700 References: <37985E8F.C4D8375D@pearlmagik.com>
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* Robert LaThanh (hybrid@pearlmagik.com) [990723 14:49]: > I thought that GNU was less restrictive. From what I've read, GNU > software can be modified and redistributed without restriction. They > mention that BSD has restrictions such as that one must include the BSD > license. What are the differences between the definitions of GNU's and > BSD's "Free software"? Read archives of -advocacy and weep... > Second of all, I've come to understand that some software in FreeBSD is > GNU software. Does FreeBSD use GNU software such as glibc? I would guess > that FreeBSD has both it's own lib and can also use glib. FreeBSD uses it's own libc. The only GNU software you will find it is located under /usr/src/contrib > Lately Linux, a GNU OS, has seen tremendous publicity and increase in Linux is a GPL'd OS. It's not a GNU OS. > users/usage. What does this mean for FreeBSD's future? Tivo, a new FreeBSD, NetBSD and OpenBSD also gained substantial amounts of new users. > interactive-TV-esque product from Phillips, uses Linux. FreeBSD is > established in some of the largest applications such as cdrom.com (and > I've heard that Microsoft has used it on some of its servers), but is see http://advocacy.freebsd.org for companies deploying it. > there a threat that Linux will overcome the established performance and > reliability of FreeBSD and essentially take FreeBSD's place? Linux is more into desktop stuff. It cannot maintain stability on serverlevel for which people tend to choose FreeBSD, NetBSD or OpenBSD. > Does FreeBSD intend to someday be the OS on a user's desktop? Does > FreeBSD hope to attract the 'rebellious' or 'adventurous' user (and in > some cases companies) like Linux does? or will it focus on being the > best choice for the most demanding applications? A lot of people already use FreeBSD on their desktop, I do for example and I know a lot of other people whom also do so. However FreeBSD and afaik NetBSD and OpenBSD are most suited for server/development work at the moment. > I know there's a lot of questions in there, I hope they can all be > answered. I've used FreeBSD on-and-off for almost two years now. I am > disappointed when I see Linux and not FreeBSD on store shelves. Having > used both, I prefer FreeBSD, but I'm becoming skeptical about the future > of FreeBSD. Sceptical? Why? Just because FreeBSD doesn't appear to be as hyped as Linux doesn't mean the future does not look good. Have you even tracked -chat or -advocacy? If ye did ye would have seen that FreeBSD gets a lot of exposure in the last few months. > I'm 19-years old and I would say that I'm an intermediate programmer. > I've programmed a basic search engine from the ground up > (http://www.pearlmagik.com/) and managed the server. I learn mostly > everything on my own from online documentation (usually on the internet) > and trial-and-error (and sometimes from books), and I feel alone in my > work. I want to learn more and contribute to a greater project. If > there's room and resources (and a way) to guide and teach a random lone > student, I'd love to be able to contribute to the FreeBSD project. > Please let me know if there are any opportunities for me. Enough opportunities, if yer truly bored get rid of dangerous functions such as gets and submit pr's about yer changes. submit stuff to the PDP (see .sig) help Adrian chadd with his sysctl and other ctl definitions (adrian@freebsd.org) try to get something like www.inter-mezzo.org for FreeBSD but preferably using the BSD license look through the pr database and see if there are pr's you can help with help the documentation project keep the manual pages in sync with the latest changes help test CURRENT if yer up to it A lot of things are out there to be done and as for the guidance, there will surely be one or more commiters happy to help you, just as I can turn to DES en EE. HTH, -- Jeroen Ruigrok van der Werven asmodai(at)wxs.nl The BSD Programmer's Documentation Project <http://home.wxs.nl/~asmodai>; Network/Security Specialist BSD: Technical excellence at its best Cum angelis et pueris, fideles inveniamur. Quis est iste Rex gloriae...? To Unsubscribe: send mail to majordomo@FreeBSD.org with "unsubscribe freebsd-questions" in the body of the message
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