What is BSD? - Canadian TV, Computing and Home Theatre Forums

vmpv · 2007-10-19, 10:37 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by JKL1960

I'm tempted to go back and try Mandriva. If not that maybe I'll just go BSD all the way.

What's this BSD? Is it just another form of BSOD from Microsot? (sorry couldn't resist)

I_Want_My_HDTV · 2007-10-22, 02:33 AM

FreeBSD is a very good server O/S. At one time (say 10-15 years ago) it was much more stable than Linux and on par for applications. These days, FreeBSD has fallen far behind in the desktop area, due to lack of development for FreeBSD desktop applications. As a server, Linux is about as stable as FreeBSD these days and Linux has a much more active development community in that area as well. However, if you want to go back in time and see what Unix systems looked like 10-15 years ago, just install FreeBSD. It's still a good server O/S. Good enough that Microsoft stole tons of code from it and Apple uses it for the Mac (with their own GUI.) FreeBSD is also truly free software. Much of it is public domain, with no restrictions on use.

stampeder · 2007-10-22, 10:35 AM

BSD is the name for a branch of UNIX originally developed at Berkeley in the 1970s by such luminaries as Bill Joy and others, and BSD has continued on to today in such descendants as FreeBSD, NetBSD, and the ultra-secure OpenBSD. Unlike Linux, BSD distributions are not GPL software, but rather have their own license that is significantly different.

Here's the BSD page at Wikipedia:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bsd

JKL1960 · 2007-10-22, 03:41 PM

If you like to play around with computers I highly recommend installing Open BSD just to have a look. It is probably the easiest OS install I've encountered but is so secure that you better know what is going on. I got it to install and boot no problem but didn't understand enough about it to use it. I could barely log in.

I felt like an idiot.

I could probably make it work now that I know more but Linux is my OS of choice for server or desktop anyway. Although I'm using XP at work right now.

Remember a few years ago when MS was advertising Windows as "Built for the Internet"? I found that funny and came up with this.

Windows : Built for the Internet.
Linux : Built on the Internet.
Unix : Built the Internet.

I_Want_My_HDTV · 2007-10-23, 06:49 PM

I will attempt to delve a little deeper into the history of BSD. This is from memory so please bear with me...

In the 1960s and early 1970s, AT&T developed Unix internally as a development platform for their own hardware. It was basically a lightweight O/S written by software engineers for software engineers and software development. It was very inexpensive to write and maintain since it was essentially an offshoot of some very talented engineers daily work. Unix was modular in nature, consisting of a small kernel and numerous general purpose tools (aka utilities.) This was in direct contrast to IBM's O/S which were huge, monolithic and extremely expensive to develop and purchase. AT&T tried to sell licenses for Unix but the US government stepped in and obtained an injunction. The reason they cited was that AT&T also sold hardware and that selling both created a monopoly. (Kind of ironic considering the vertical integration of large corporations today but this was pre-Bell breakup in the US.)

In response, AT&T decided to give away Unix, including source code, to educational institutions. This was a huge success. Universities could purchase a (relatively) cheap used minicomputer or mainframe and install Unix. That way they avoided software licensing fees from the likes of DEC and IBM. This reduced costs dramatically and became a great educational tool.

Berkeley had one of the most successful software projects based on AT&T Unix. They wrote and incorporated many enhancements into their version which became know as Berkeley Software Distribution. BSD was adopted by a many (if not almost all) universities and was ported to almost every mainframe and minicomputer made in the 1970s and 1980s.

When the US government injunction expired, AT&T decided to reclaim and enforce their copyrights on the portions of BSD code that they wrote. This resulted in a rewrite of the AT&T portions of the BSD code. When that was completed, Berkeley made the BSD code and operating system freely distributable.

AT&T decided to write and distribute AT&T System III and V versions of Unix. This was licensed to a number of companies for resale on PCs and other systems. (Including SCO when they abandoned MS's Xenix.) Licensing fees for AT&T's Unix typically amounted to between $1000 to several $thousand. About the same time, Richard Stallman created the Free Software Project and Linus Torvalds wrote his Unix kernel. The two projects created what is now known as Linux. Linux and BSD coexisted as equals for some time during the 1990's. By the end of the decade, Linux clearly superseded BSD in popularity, though BSD was still well regarded as a very stable and secure internet server O/S.

stampeder · 2007-10-23, 09:24 PM

Bell Labs history of UNIX page:

http://www.bell-labs.com/history/unix

"The Daemon, The Gnu, and The Penguin" online book by John Salus:

http://www.groklaw.net/staticpages/i...51013231901859

betamaxman · 2007-11-18, 02:10 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by I_Want_My_HDTV

At one time (say 10-15 years ago) it was much more stable than Linux and on par for applications.

Free bsd is as modern and usefull desktop as any other unix or unix like OS. You will find support for flash, java, and media codecs as you will with any other. It also uses the latest kde wm so I fail to understand the 10 to 12 year ago reference. In some ways free bsd exceeds linux.

stampeder · 2007-11-18, 02:26 PM

I think you misinterpreted what he said. I agree with him completely that back then BSD was much more solid, reliable, and dependable that Linux. Today of course BSD and Linux can replace eachother one-for-one in many cases.

stampeder · 2007-11-18, 02:32 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by JKL1960

Windows : Built for the Internet. Linux : Built on the Internet. Unix : Built the Internet.

Cute, but needs a bit of historical work:

UNIX: Built simultaneously with the C programming language, TCP/IP networking, and the ARPAnet/Internet by many of the same folks
Linux: Built on the Internet
Windows: Hastily rebuilt to allow networking but later also to fight something called the Internet and AOL, but then rebuilt and rebuilt to try to embrace and extend it

2007-10-22, 10:35 AM	#3
stampeder OTA Forum Moderator Join Date: Jan 2005 Location: North Delta, BC (96Av x 116St) Posts: 23,338	BSD = UNIX Derivative BSD is the name for a branch of UNIX originally developed at Berkeley in the 1970s by such luminaries as Bill Joy and others, and BSD has continued on to today in such descendants as FreeBSD, NetBSD, and the ultra-secure OpenBSD. Unlike Linux, BSD distributions are not GPL software, but rather have their own license that is significantly different. Here's the BSD page at Wikipedia: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bsd

2007-10-23, 09:24 PM	#6
stampeder OTA Forum Moderator Join Date: Jan 2005 Location: North Delta, BC (96Av x 116St) Posts: 23,338	2 great UNIX/Linux reads Bell Labs history of UNIX page: http://www.bell-labs.com/history/unix "The Daemon, The Gnu, and The Penguin" online book by John Salus: http://www.groklaw.net/staticpages/i...51013231901859

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2007-10-22, 02:33 AM	#2
I_Want_My_HDTV . Join Date: Jan 2003 Location: London, ON Posts: 6,297	FreeBSD is a very good server O/S. At one time (say 10-15 years ago) it was much more stable than Linux and on par for applications. These days, FreeBSD has fallen far behind in the desktop area, due to lack of development for FreeBSD desktop applications. As a server, Linux is about as stable as FreeBSD these days and Linux has a much more active development community in that area as well. However, if you want to go back in time and see what Unix systems looked like 10-15 years ago, just install FreeBSD. It's still a good server O/S. Good enough that Microsoft stole tons of code from it and Apple uses it for the Mac (with their own GUI.) FreeBSD is also truly free software. Much of it is public domain, with no restrictions on use.

2007-10-22, 03:41 PM	#4
JKL1960 Join Date: Oct 2007 Posts: 68	If you like to play around with computers I highly recommend installing Open BSD just to have a look. It is probably the easiest OS install I've encountered but is so secure that you better know what is going on. I got it to install and boot no problem but didn't understand enough about it to use it. I could barely log in. I felt like an idiot. I could probably make it work now that I know more but Linux is my OS of choice for server or desktop anyway. Although I'm using XP at work right now. Remember a few years ago when MS was advertising Windows as "Built for the Internet"? I found that funny and came up with this. Windows : Built for the Internet. Linux : Built on the Internet. Unix : Built the Internet.

2007-10-23, 06:49 PM	#5
I_Want_My_HDTV . Join Date: Jan 2003 Location: London, ON Posts: 6,297	I will attempt to delve a little deeper into the history of BSD. This is from memory so please bear with me... In the 1960s and early 1970s, AT&T developed Unix internally as a development platform for their own hardware. It was basically a lightweight O/S written by software engineers for software engineers and software development. It was very inexpensive to write and maintain since it was essentially an offshoot of some very talented engineers daily work. Unix was modular in nature, consisting of a small kernel and numerous general purpose tools (aka utilities.) This was in direct contrast to IBM's O/S which were huge, monolithic and extremely expensive to develop and purchase. AT&T tried to sell licenses for Unix but the US government stepped in and obtained an injunction. The reason they cited was that AT&T also sold hardware and that selling both created a monopoly. (Kind of ironic considering the vertical integration of large corporations today but this was pre-Bell breakup in the US.) In response, AT&T decided to give away Unix, including source code, to educational institutions. This was a huge success. Universities could purchase a (relatively) cheap used minicomputer or mainframe and install Unix. That way they avoided software licensing fees from the likes of DEC and IBM. This reduced costs dramatically and became a great educational tool. Berkeley had one of the most successful software projects based on AT&T Unix. They wrote and incorporated many enhancements into their version which became know as Berkeley Software Distribution. BSD was adopted by a many (if not almost all) universities and was ported to almost every mainframe and minicomputer made in the 1970s and 1980s. When the US government injunction expired, AT&T decided to reclaim and enforce their copyrights on the portions of BSD code that they wrote. This resulted in a rewrite of the AT&T portions of the BSD code. When that was completed, Berkeley made the BSD code and operating system freely distributable. AT&T decided to write and distribute AT&T System III and V versions of Unix. This was licensed to a number of companies for resale on PCs and other systems. (Including SCO when they abandoned MS's Xenix.) Licensing fees for AT&T's Unix typically amounted to between $1000 to several $thousand. About the same time, Richard Stallman created the Free Software Project and Linus Torvalds wrote his Unix kernel. The two projects created what is now known as Linux. Linux and BSD coexisted as equals for some time during the 1990's. By the end of the decade, Linux clearly superseded BSD in popularity, though BSD was still well regarded as a very stable and secure internet server O/S.

2007-11-18, 02:26 PM	#8
stampeder OTA Forum Moderator Join Date: Jan 2005 Location: North Delta, BC (96Av x 116St) Posts: 23,338	I think you misinterpreted what he said. I agree with him completely that back then BSD was much more solid, reliable, and dependable that Linux. Today of course BSD and Linux can replace eachother one-for-one in many cases.