From owner-freebsd-advocacy@FreeBSD.ORG Thu Nov 27 17:22:17 2003 Return-Path: Delivered-To: freebsd-advocacy@freebsd.org Received: from mx1.FreeBSD.org (mx1.freebsd.org [216.136.204.125]) by hub.freebsd.org (Postfix) with ESMTP id A7BCE16A4CE for ; Thu, 27 Nov 2003 17:22:17 -0800 (PST) Received: from smtp07.wxs.nl (smtp07.wxs.nl [195.121.6.39]) by mx1.FreeBSD.org (Postfix) with ESMTP id 3F86143FCB for ; Thu, 27 Nov 2003 17:22:16 -0800 (PST) (envelope-from akruijff@www.kruijff.org) Received: from kruij557.speed.planet.nl (ipd50a97ba.speed.planet.nl [213.10.151.186]) by smtp07.wxs.nl (iPlanet Messaging Server 5.2 HotFix 1.14 (built Mar 18 2003)) with ESMTP id <0HP100AYWFT2AN@smtp07.wxs.nl> for freebsd-advocacy@freebsd.org; Fri, 28 Nov 2003 02:22:15 +0100 (MET) Received: from Alex.lan (localhost [127.0.0.1]) by kruij557.speed.planet.nl (8.12.9p2/8.12.9) with ESMTP id hAS1MJJg004299; Fri, 28 Nov 2003 02:22:19 +0100 (CET envelope-from akruijff@Alex.lan) Received: (from akruijff@localhost) by Alex.lan (8.12.9p2/8.12.9/Submit) id hAS1MJZX004298; Fri, 28 Nov 2003 02:22:19 +0100 (CET envelope-from akruijff) Date: Fri, 28 Nov 2003 02:22:19 +0100 From: Alex de Kruijff In-reply-to: <3FC41613.50902@adept.org> To: Mike Hoskins Message-id: <20031128012218.GA395@dds.nl> MIME-version: 1.0 Content-type: text/plain; charset=us-ascii Content-transfer-encoding: 7BIT Content-disposition: inline User-Agent: Mutt/1.4.1i References: <000701c3b2ef$a617a080$7ffc2dd5@workstation> <20031126012951.GC1068@dds.nl> <3FC410B5.6050807@cyberlifelabs.com> <3FC41613.50902@adept.org> cc: freebsd-advocacy@freebsd.org Subject: Re: what's unix and what's not X-BeenThere: freebsd-advocacy@freebsd.org X-Mailman-Version: 2.1.1 Precedence: list List-Id: FreeBSD Evangelism List-Unsubscribe: , List-Archive: List-Post: List-Help: List-Subscribe: , X-List-Received-Date: Fri, 28 Nov 2003 01:22:17 -0000 On Tue, Nov 25, 2003 at 06:55:15PM -0800, Mike Hoskins wrote: > Milo Hyson wrote: > >Alex de Kruijff wrote: > >>On Tue, Nov 25, 2003 at 02:01:24AM +0100, .VWV. wrote: > >>>what's unix and what's not? > >>I feel that *anything* that is based up on the orginal Unix version > >>should be called Unix. > >It is my understanding that the Linux kernel was built from scratch. It > >may be patterned after UNIX, but it wasn't based on it. BSD, on the > >other hand, is derived (indirectly) from the original work by Ritchie > >and Thompson. Of course, I may be on crack.... > > Linux was built as a UNIX alternative, or so the story goes. i.e. Linus > had access to solaris/etc. machines at university, but wanted to try > "something new" as an OS project. of course he had basic OS concepts > ingrained from using and interacting with other OS (primarily solaris i > believe)... but the idea was "something not UNIX", or so i've read in > accounts by Linus. so... before making assumptions about Linux, i'd go > ask him. ;) > > in general, i've always heard and believed "Linux is not UNIX" -- but > that is really a matter of semantics. how similar does something have > to look to UNIX before it actually is UNIX? also, more than something > purely technical/identifiable, i've always believed the distinction is > one that was historically drawn with design goals in mind... so it's > not one i'd just dismiss without understanding those goals. at least > not if you respect technical mythology as much as fact. ;) With Linux i was thinking about the whole OS, since it quite difficult to compare a kernel with an entire operating system. Its a fact that over the time Linux exist it has had a number of sources imported from BSD. Linux may not be called UNIX because you can get a sued. Only the company that owns that right can call it operating system UNIX. Currently this is SCO. AT&T who had the rigth back then has agreed not to sue BSD. This is way BSD can be more freely in using this term. -- Alex Articles based on solutions that I use: http://www.kruijff.org/alex/index.php?dir=docs/FreeBSD/ Please CC me.