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Date:      Thu, 3 Jan 2019 19:12:50 -0700
From:      Alan Somers <asomers@freebsd.org>
To:        Warner Losh <imp@bsdimp.com>
Cc:        Cy Schubert <Cy.Schubert@cschubert.com>,  FreeBSD Hackers <freebsd-hackers@freebsd.org>, Enji Cooper <yaneurabeya@gmail.com>,  Igor Mozolevsky <igor@hybrid-lab.co.uk>, Wojciech Puchar <wojtek@puchar.net>
Subject:   Re: Strategic Thinking (was: Re: Speculative: Rust for base system components)
Message-ID:  <CAOtMX2jF-FASS3G5cZ_uFdij4-S3FKVYP1EHCPAYMnPaAaWYcA@mail.gmail.com>
In-Reply-To: <CANCZdfoJJhGQ750h9HREkhUcqCA%2B5jO260UotyRjDQTKR_AHrA@mail.gmail.com>
References:  <wojtek@puchar.net> <alpine.BSF.2.20.1901032030260.40635@puchar.net> <201901032228.x03MSxkq087945@slippy.cwsent.com> <CAOtMX2jdDSUwtifm=a_nqJWg_5yCOoe4BYGmO4QkbysRZ8UCrg@mail.gmail.com> <CANCZdfoJJhGQ750h9HREkhUcqCA%2B5jO260UotyRjDQTKR_AHrA@mail.gmail.com>

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On Thu, Jan 3, 2019 at 5:43 PM Warner Losh <imp@bsdimp.com> wrote:
>
>
>
> On Thu, Jan 3, 2019, 3:53 PM Alan Somers <asomers@freebsd.org wrote:
>>
>> On Thu, Jan 3, 2019 at 3:29 PM Cy Schubert <Cy.Schubert@cschubert.com> w=
rote:
>> >
>> > In message <alpine.BSF.2.20.1901032030260.40635@puchar.net>, Wojciech
>> > Puchar wr
>> > ites:
>> > > >> That's precisely how ideas that most people disagree with get *pu=
shed*
>> > > >> through by evangelists with confirmation bias! Like someone said
>> > > >> earlier in the discussion: does Rust add anything? The answer is =
a
>> > > >> resounding NO, save for bloat.
>> > > >
>> > > > And this is why one reason people say =C3=A2=E2=82=AC=C5=93FreeBSD=
 is dying=C3=A2=E2=82=AC .
>> > > >
>> > > dying for whom?
>> >
>> > Not to answer this question but to think strategically:
>> >
>> > 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
>> > supporting microservices. And now at $JOB we're talking about running
>> > microservices on Linux VMs -- virtualization on virtualization, on a
>> > virtual network (NSX). My customers are working on microservices and
>> > containers that can be migrated from their private cloud to the public
>> > cloud and back again easily.
>> >
>> > Even Microsoft is working on a container strategy. The future is
>> > containers. The desktop platform isn't nearly as important any more.
>> > And, the physical server, its location, what it runs on and who runs i=
t
>> > are also less important. What is important is the speed and cost
>> > effectiveness of standing up applications.
>> >
>> > 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
>> > Kubernetes is written in -- don't get me wrong, I'm not advocating
>> > importing go into base. Having said that, transforming FreeBSD into a
>> > PaaS platform, tying it all together using Kubernetes would position
>> > FreeBSD for the future to come. Maybe I'm talking myself into go and
>> > Kubernetes in base but maybe this could just as easily be done in port=
s.
>> >
>> > Think about this: Kubernetes in base or ports, using the Linuxulator
>> > and jails (or an implementation of cgroups and namespaces constructs i=
n
>> > addition to jails). Bhyve and jails provide the enterprise with other
>> > virtualization options such that a FreeBSD host could host Linux or
>> > FreeBSD containers, Windows or other VMs, and FreeBSD jails, all on on=
e
>> > or a cluster of FreeBSD hosts, possibly part of a heterogeneous cluste=
r.
>> >
>> > This IMO would position FreeBSD for the future.
>> >
>> > Maybe go and Kubernetes? Let's not be left behind.
>> >
>> >
>> > --
>> > 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.
>>
>> FreeBSD support in Kubernetes would be great, but I don't think
>> there's any reason to put it into base.  The interesting thing about
>> Rust is that it's so good at low-level work.  As we discussed,
>> Johannes Lundberg has written a device driver in Rust.  And Fabian
>> Freyer is working on jail(3) and jail(8) replacements in Rust.  Enji
>> is thinking about writing an rc(8) replacement in Rust.  These are the
>> kind of projects that make sense to do in base, apart from the
>> language barrier.  Go, I think, would be just fine remaining in ports.
>> If I were to pick any language other than Rust to add to the base
>> system, it might be Lua.  Though high level, its embeddable and nicely
>> complements C and Rust.  That's why it's used internally in Kyua, and
>> it even in the NetBSD kernel.
>
>
> We already have. The boot loader uses the latest, almost stock version. Z=
FS uses it's weird, hacked version to send down config programs. The build =
glue to get a luac is pretty small at this point :)
>
> Warner

Wow, I'm way behind then.  Maybe I'll actually need to learn it.
-Alan



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