NetBSD To Add Elements of the POSIX Standard
Linked by Thom Holwerda on Mon 20th Feb 2006 12:19 UTC
NetBSD "The IEEE and The Open Group have granted permission to the NetBSD Foundation to incorporate more than 1400 interfaces from the joint IEEE 1003.1 POSIX standard and The Open Group Base Specifications Issue 6 into its NetBSD operating system. This step benefits developers in the NetBSD Project and software engineers using NetBSD as their target platform. NetBSD developers can now use standard documentation to express that a NetBSD operating system conforms to the POSIX standard. The step also gives engineers who write software to run on NetBSD a better understanding of how to create portable programs using IEEE 1003.1."
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"standard"?
by diegocg on Mon 20th Feb 2006 12:47 UTC
diegocg
Member since:
2005-07-08

I don't understand why you've to get a permission to add support for a standard. Standards are supposed to be...standards, having to gran permission looks the same than making them closed standards and granting licenses to the people you want

Reply Score: 1

RE: "standard"?
by ameasures on Mon 20th Feb 2006 13:38 UTC in reply to ""standard"?"
ameasures Member since:
2006-01-09

To get an implementation certified requires intensive pedantic testing which often gets charged for.

Years back there was a Linux distro that got certified, however most of the FOSS world settles for conformance.

Leaves me wondering why NetBSD and not others. Still; I am glad they have made a start.

Reply Score: 5

RE: "standard"?
by tchristney on Mon 20th Feb 2006 22:42 UTC in reply to ""standard"?"
tchristney Member since:
2005-09-21

You don't have to get permission to implement a standard. But how will a customer know that you have implemented the standard, and done so correctly? Should they take your word for it? This allows NetBSD to not only implement the standard but to make the verifiable claim of POSIX conformance, with the verification coming from the POSIX authorities themselves.

Reply Score: 2

RE[2]: "standard"?
by corentin on Tue 21st Feb 2006 06:14 UTC in reply to "RE: "standard"?"
corentin Member since:
2005-08-08

> but to make the verifiable claim of POSIX conformance, with the verification coming from the POSIX authorities themselves.

The POSIX guys did not certified NetBSD as being POSIX compliant; they just gave the NetBSD foundation the right to include the documentation in their product.

The press release is quite unclear.

Reply Score: 2

RE[3]: "standard"?
by Chreo on Tue 21st Feb 2006 09:46 UTC in reply to "RE[2]: "standard"?"
Chreo Member since:
2005-07-06

Yup quite unclear. While NetBSD is very nice on it's own merit I have to say that their newfound spin-hype-spin machine is making me irk back a bit.

NetBSD is excellent enough not to need this (smells more like something coming from the corporate world)

Reply Score: 2

Re: "standard"?
by ghen on Mon 20th Feb 2006 13:15 UTC
ghen
Member since:
2005-08-31

It's not about the standards themselves (NetBSD has been implementing POSIX standards for a long time now, just like most UNIX-like OS'es out there). This is about the standard *documentation*.

Reply Score: 2

Cool
by Tweek on Tue 21st Feb 2006 05:15 UTC
Tweek
Member since:
2006-01-12

NetBSD is not a mass market OS, but man when they set to goals they really achieve.

I have always been impressed by their ability to focus on what they feel is important and come through with an excellent solution.

I have checked it out in the past, but a couple of factors stopped me for desktop use...

DRI? is there any support (i know freebsd does support some)

USB2 mass storage. (my ipod mini wouldnt work)

anyone have any luck with those two types of devices. I would love to hear what kind of vid cards work well etc. What about the new X11 developments, the compositing managers etc...

I love all the BSDs for their core system and how the system is engineered, but linux will often support the new stuff more rapidly...

any thoughts?

Reply Score: 3

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