RE: testing, testing
>
> This might be the best way to get off the ground. I think
> that the FBSD Linux-compat code is very well done. So far,
> everything that has been in the FreeBSD port tree from
> Linux has worked. Things like WordPerfect8 ...
>
Well, that's an excellent test. If something as heavyweight as WP8 works,
then I doubt we'll see many problems. There might be some problems with
utilities that work very "close to the metal".
How is the Linux compatibility handled? Is there already a Libc ported
to BSD, or does the kernel handle this somehow?
> But as far as I know, no drivers have been ported. Because
> the Linux kernel seems to be too different, nothing that
> touches the Linux kernel has been attempted.
>
Does BSD have the concept of "kernel modules"? Does everything have to
be statically compiled into the kernel?
> The beneficiaries would be the users. There is a GNU|Sys5-style
> rc package for FBSD that lies largely unused because the FBSD
> Core group didn't like it. I understand that there are sysadmin
> packages for Linux that use a GUI (?) And I'm sure there are
> many other GNU//Linux tools that would benefit the BSD side.
> I'm sure this cross-pollination works the other way, of course.
> Especially in the networking arena....
>
Yes -- as we become more familiar with BSD there might be interesting
tools/features that would be ported in the other direction. I have to
admit that I have always had a bit of a soft spot for BSD, being a fellow
UC alum (although UCSB and UCLA, not Cal....)
>
> This issue can nearly raise the dead to argue, fight, and
> throw spitballs. My understanding is limited to thinking that
> the Berkeley license is virtually 100% open. You've got to
> keep the BSD license clause on every file that carries it,
> but that is as far as my knowledge goes.
>
> I'm well into my third year of hacking a light-sound X11
> ``mind-machine'' application. Alpha (or pre-alpha) release
> is sometime late this fall. I'm going to use the GPL when
> I publish this.
>
> In other words, I have nothing against the Copyleft.
>
And Debian has nothing against the BSD license. We just need to make
sure that whatever we do doesn't violate the terms of one or the other
license. In the case of Device drivers, I worry that there may be
some GPL 'infection' of the kernel -- which might be another reason that
Linux drivers have not been ported more quickly.
> I use my home systems mercilessly, am up always (I have
> twin machines). In four years I've had exactly 3 crashed
> that were probably kernel-related.
>
> If you don't need this much stability, then consider that
> the networking code is flawless.
>
Can you comment on BSD scalability -- in terms of say multiprocessor
use, etc.? I know that's an area in which Linux has had some rather
public "error reports" lately ;-) (Mindcraft Survey anyone?)
-Brent
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