From owner-freebsd-questions@FreeBSD.ORG Sun Jun 3 01:54:02 2007 Return-Path: X-Original-To: freebsd-questions@freebsd.org Delivered-To: freebsd-questions@freebsd.org Received: from mx1.freebsd.org (mx1.freebsd.org [69.147.83.52]) by hub.freebsd.org (Postfix) with ESMTP id 74A6116A46B for ; Sun, 3 Jun 2007 01:54:02 +0000 (UTC) (envelope-from kdk@daleco.biz) Received: from ezekiel.daleco.biz (southernuniform.com [66.76.92.18]) by mx1.freebsd.org (Postfix) with ESMTP id 1D81F13C468 for ; Sun, 3 Jun 2007 01:54:01 +0000 (UTC) (envelope-from kdk@daleco.biz) Received: from archangel.daleco.biz ([69.27.149.254]) by ezekiel.daleco.biz (8.13.8/8.13.1) with ESMTP id l531rxB4078954; Sat, 2 Jun 2007 20:54:00 -0500 (CDT) (envelope-from kdk@daleco.biz) Message-ID: <46621F30.4080804@daleco.biz> Date: Sat, 02 Jun 2007 20:53:52 -0500 From: Kevin Kinsey User-Agent: Mozilla/5.0 (X11; U; FreeBSD i386; en-US; rv:1.8.1.2) Gecko/20070418 SeaMonkey/1.1.1 MIME-Version: 1.0 To: "Blake Finley, MA, ABD-2" References: <4661FAC9.9010806@transpacific.net> In-Reply-To: <4661FAC9.9010806@transpacific.net> Content-Type: text/plain; charset=ISO-8859-1; format=flowed Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit Cc: freebsd-questions@freebsd.org Subject: Re: BSD derivatives 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, 03 Jun 2007 01:54:02 -0000 Blake Finley, MA, ABD-2 wrote: Hello. Hope it's not too "tongue-in-chic", but it's practically irresistable. > I am primarily concerned about security from internet hacking, and am > therefore considering setting up a separate internet computer with BSD. > What is your association with Open BSD? Hmm, three letters, and, long, long ago in a galaxy far away (1993, California), the same codebase. These days, it's possible that some developers work on both the FreeBSD and OpenBSD projects (I don't know for sure), and, once in a great while, when somebody "over here" says something, um, wrong(?), Theo De Raadt drops by to Set Us Straight(TM). [I can only assume that some of "us" go over there first to invite combat. Indeed, I might be doing it now. Generally, I respect the OpenBSD team's outlook on life in general, etc., and I download _all_ the songs.] You might wish to also read about and/or consider "NetBSD" and "DragonFlyBSD". Also, "PCBSD" and "Desktop BSD" are relatively new projects that are based on the work of the FreeBSD Project, with an eye to being, maybe, more "user friendly" in regard to installation in particular and configuration in general. Lastly, you might want to consider obtaining "FreesBIE", a "Live CD" system based on FreeBSD. You can boot a computer from CDROM into FreeBSD and 1 of a few different types of "user environments", maybe get a feel for it, test your hardware, read the manpages, read /COPYRIGHT, perhaps other read documentation, courtesy of some hard-working Italian "hackers" (and some from some other places). > with Linux? What's that? If you are familiar with Linux, search at Google with the string "BSD Linux Matthew Fuller rant". It's a fairly well thought-through tirade on some of the differences Linux users perceive when they look at (Free)BSD. If you _aren't_ familiar with Linux, let's just say that FreeBSD is to Linux as Ferrari is to Pontiac (or, maybe vice-versa, depending on whom you read --- of course, many people these days are pathological liars and can't be trusted, right?), and then leave it dead somewhere near there. Both are computer operating systems with several similarities, enough that if you can "drive" one, you can probably "get around" in the other. They just aren't the *same*. > Are there copyright or other related issues involved? You will need to be more specific. *-BSD systems are under the "BSD Copyright", which I'm sure you can find with a web search. Some software on FreeBSD (and by extension PCBSD and 'Desktop BSD') may also be under the FSF's "GPL". The compiler comes to mind, for starters. I believe that one of the goals of many BSD developers is to ultimately be rid of GPL'ed software; but, then again, one of many humans' goals it to ultimately build a Utopian society without many of the societal ills we face. It's not so likely to happen very soon at all. > It appears that FreeBSD is the most closely associated with the original > Berkeley programmers. Maybe. NetBSD and FreeBSD were both originally based heavily on UC Berkley work, most notably 4.3BSD/Net 2, and then 4.4BSD after it became "unencumbered". Speaking of "Copyright" above, and, if you are referring to issues such as the SCO/Linux court battle or the recent Microsoft claim that Linux infringes on $n of their patents, as far as we know, no one has any commercial "copyright", per se, in the FreeBSD source code. The lawsuit on that one was settled in 1993, out of court IIRC. The contestants were BSDI (and, to some extent, by extension, U. Cal), and AT&T's "Unix Systems Laboratories". > I was told that OpenBSD provided the best security. But I also note > that changes have occurred at OBSD, and wonder if this is still true. Actually, OpenBSD does have an excellent security track record. They might also welcome a large monetary donation, should you be so endowed and inclined. OTOH, it's totally "Free", also, in rather the same way as FreeBSD. OpenBSD "forked" from NetBSD many years ago for some reason or another that I'm sure you can read up on with resources on the WWW (or, maybe the aforementioned Mr. De Raadt will Set Me Straight(TM)). Let me encourage you to read appropriate sections of, or even all of the FreeBSD handbook (www.freebsd.org/handbook). It is probably the best open-source operating system documentation in existence (and perhaps better than any proprietary OS docs, also). Bah, too many words. Good luck with your search for security! Kevin Kinsey -- The devil finds work for idle glands.