Date: Fri, 04 Jan 2019 11:02:32 -0800 From: Cy Schubert <Cy.Schubert@cschubert.com> To: Wojciech Puchar <wojtek@puchar.net> Cc: Cy Schubert <Cy.Schubert@cschubert.com>, Enji Cooper <yaneurabeya@gmail.com>, Hackers freeBSD <freebsd-hackers@freebsd.org>, Igor Mozolevsky <igor@hybrid-lab.co.uk> Subject: Re: Strategic Thinking (was: Re: Speculative: Rust for base system components) Message-ID: <201901041902.x04J2WMb026379@slippy.cwsent.com> In-Reply-To: Message from Wojciech Puchar <wojtek@puchar.net> of "Fri, 04 Jan 2019 11:34:49 %2B0100." <alpine.BSF.2.20.1901041132430.45366@puchar.net>
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In message <alpine.BSF.2.20.1901041132430.45366@puchar.net>, Wojciech Puchar wr ites: > > > > I come from the corporate/government environment, having spent most of > > my time there. Large datacentres (Canadian spelling), large machines, > > large networks of machines, large networks. In this environment, today, > > virtualization in all forms are the platforms of business. Migrations > > from physical platforms running AIX, Solaris and Linux to either Linux > > on VMware or Linux containers is where they are putting 100% of their > > effort. The language of choice is mostly Java. Much of the Java is > > canned too. What used to be implemented on LAMP stacks is now being > > implemented using microservices. The platform of choice for > > microservices is Linux. Stripped down Linux primarily capable of > > Just as fashion changes. Every seven years (approximately) the shift between centralization to decentralization and back occurs. It started out with reimplementation of applications once on the mainframe on the PC. It centralized back to large UNIX servers, back to thick clients, then thin clients, now back to the cloud. However there is a distinct path by which technology is evolving. Currently the shift to microservices is making the operating system irrelevant. The Linux-specific API and ABI is winning. I predicted this to my management at $JOB almost ten years ago, telling them the operating system will become a stub. And, here we are. My points were: A) FreeBSD needs to become a platform that can host current and evolving virtualization technologies. B) FreeBSD should be able to play in the container space similarly to Linux. Unfortunately I believe that this horse has left the barn and it may be too late. Then again maybe there is something we can redeem. > > > > IMO we have strengths that can immediately be capitalized on, like the > > Linuxulator. If anything could be in base it might be go, the language > > What do you mean "capitalized"? Made use of. > > FreeBSD already allow to do all mentioned things, but anyway someone > who use FreeBSD is usually smart enough to not blidnly copy what is now > trendy. Kind of but we need to play in that space. Look at some of the other *BSDs, Solaris and AIX. One BSD failed to embrace SMP like we did. They also failed to embrace vritualization to the degree we did. Except for a small niche for which they are well known they are a two bit player. Blindly copy? No. But be able to play somewhere in the space, most definitely. We have very good technology. The reason we are where we are is thanks to a large part in our adoption of strategic technologies. Rust IMO is not strategic. Sure fork FreeBSD and if it's of benefit import it back. (Even a project branch.) I think we need to focus our efforts on more productive endeavours. Endeavours that help maintain the relevance we still have and preferably build on it. Importing rust will cause a fair bit of churn consuming already meager developer resources (which is why the cull is planned and in progress), even of those not directly participating in the project. If we're looking for work there is a lot out there that will help build on our market share -- which in turn will increase adoption, which in the long run will hopefully keep FreeBSD relevant for the long haul. -- Cheers, Cy Schubert <Cy.Schubert@cschubert.com> FreeBSD UNIX: <cy@FreeBSD.org> Web: http://www.FreeBSD.org The need of the many outweighs the greed of the few.
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