Date: Thu, 04 Mar 1999 08:31:16 -0500 From: W Gerald Hicks <wghicks@bellsouth.net> To: Greg Black <gjb@comkey.com.au> Cc: lbruno@cmp.com, freebsd-questions@FreeBSD.ORG, wghicks@wghicks.bellsouth.net Subject: Re: Technical questions about BSD Message-ID: <199903041331.IAA14062@bellsouth.net> In-Reply-To: Your message of "Thu, 04 Mar 1999 20:44:09 %2B1000." <19990304104409.7795.qmail@alpha.comkey.com.au>
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> > I'm in the process of writing a feature story [...] > Why bother? You're clearly not qualified. Argh! He's a *writer*. It seems he's done a bit more research than most have and now we have to be rude? CMP is a major publisher and I am very happy to see them around asking questions. I'll try to answer what I can but you really ought to talk to Jordan Hubbard <jkh@zippy.cdrom.com>. It's a shame that you are on such a tight schedule since there is a large exhibition in San Jose this week that has the principals tied up. This might be why you haven't received many (reasonable) responses. > First, I am curious to know how many thousands of lines of code make up > the BSD kernel? Well a simplistic answer is: $ cd /sys $ find . -type f | xargs wc -l | grep total 759757 total 309557 total --------------- 1069314 total Now, I'd be careful assigning too much importance to this number in comparison to anything else. "Lines of Code" is a very poor metric WRT software. Good programmers can often provide superior solutions with elegant algorithms requiring fewer lines of code than a neophyte might. What's much more interesting (IMHO) is just how FreeBSD users get their source and keep it up-to-date. There is nothing like this in Linux-land: http://www.freebsd.org/handbook/handbook267.html#587 Quite simply, as one of their developers put it, FreeBSD is a "source-focused" distribution. It is very simple for an end-user to recreate their system from source code. This is done in a reproducible manner and it is possible for an individual to execute the same processes that Walnut Creek does to prepare CD images for retail. *And* that CD will come out the same every iteration. This is not currently true for any distribution of Linux that I am aware of. Despite all the hoopla from the Linux folks about open-source, I'd say that the vast majority of Linux users wouldn't know how to begin doing this for themselves. Most load from a binary distribution and aren't really that interested in the source code other than being able to get Linux from someone like RedHat who does all of the compilation for them. I said most :-) > Second, what hardware platforms does it run on ... x86 has been FreeBSD's traditional platform but an Alpha port is now available. There is work underway on a MIPS port by one of the senior developers and there is interest in the SPARC and PowerPC platforms as well. The experiences gained in the Alpha port seem to be paying off and should accelerate the appearance of new platform ports. > What scripting languages can be used with BSD-- such as TCL, C, > C++, PERL, Java, Bourne, Korn ...etc. Well, some of these aren't normally considered scripting languages but yes, all of those are available. This pointer might give you a feel for how many languages are available without needing to port: http://www.freebsd.org/cgi/cvsweb.cgi/ports/lang/ > What is the maximum file size that can run on a FreeBSD > operating system-- 64 Mbytes? Ouch! Where'd you get that? FreeBSD would be a toy if this were the case. It's not of course. :-) Filesizes are represented by 64 bit numbers in the system metadata but ISTR a traditional limit of 2 gigabytes. There has been work in this area over the past few years so this might have been extended. In my own work as a telecommunications systems developer, I have never run into the limit. I work with some fairly large datasets too... > What is the minimum footprint of hard disk memory that BSD can run on? An expert can squeeze it down to a single floppy: http://www.freebsd.org/~picobsd But more realistically, disk has become very cheap and a serious beginning user should give it at least a gigabyte to assemble a highly functional system. Someone just dabbling can probably do OK with a couple hundred megabytes. Much more functional in that space than Windows98 or NT but perhaps about the same as Linux. > Can you point out any other significant differences between FreeBSD and > other versions of BSD, such as OpenBSD and NetBSD? I'll use the analogy of two brothers, both descended from the same parents and raised with the same values. Their life experiences cause them to travel different paths and they develop in different ways. Still, they are more alike than different. FreeBSD has traditionally placed most of its emphasis on X86 performance and compatibility. OpenBSD - security and portability. NetBSD - portability. These aren't hard and fast rules though and they are changing (for all of the *BSD projects mentioned). Quite often, cross-pollination occurs and code is shared amongst the projects. > Similarly, can you point out any differences between FreeBSD and Linux Ouch Again! This is a provocative question, akin to asking whether Christians are different from Jews or Muslims. It has been the source of countless flamefests and is likely to be the main reason Greg offered a gruff response. Just search DejaNews for "Linux vs FreeBSD" for a taste of this often unpleasant rivalry between the wannabes of each camp. The most significant differences to me have not been covered adequately by the trade press (as far as I know). 1. The unified build tree and superior organization of the FreeBSD source code. 2. CVSup for tracking progress of the project and being able to easily incorporate fixes or updates. Seriously, even non-technical people can do this. Most Linux users wait for RedHat's releases. 3. The ports tree [see http://www.freebsd.org/handbook/handbook23.html#25] 4. The Berkeley License (as opposed to the GPL) Please be patient with us and feel free to ask for clarifications. Cheers, Jerry Hicks wghicks@bellsouth.net To Unsubscribe: send mail to majordomo@FreeBSD.org with "unsubscribe freebsd-questions" in the body of the message
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