Home > FreeBSD > New FreeBSD Foundation Newsletter Published

New FreeBSD Foundation Newsletter Published

  Submitted by Joel Dahl FreeBSD 27 Comments

There is a new edition of the FreeBSD Foundation newsletter. “The innovation of the past lives on in FreeBSD. From SMP and network scalability to innovations in security APIs and wireless networking, the technology of FreeBSD is making an impact on our world. What future piece of BSD technology will help foster a new public commodity like the Internet? I can’t say, but the past shows us that investing in open source OS development and its commercial use pays large dividends. The two testimonials in this newsletter from Isilon and Network Appliance show this process at work.”

About The Author

Thom Holwerda

Follow me on Mastodon @[email protected]

27 Comments

  1. 2007-12-18 7:15 pm
    anomie

    Only because they mention the auction in the newsletter, I wanted to throw in a quick comment on Absolute FreeBSD: the book is fantastic and thorough. Mr. Lucas is able to keep ~700 pages of content interesting with a rather dry sense of humor.

    Might be a good Christmas gift for your favorite BSD geek. ;) I got mine early this year.

  2. 2007-12-19 8:46 am
    marafaka

    “Providing legal support on issues like understanding the GPLv3 impact on FreeBSD, trademarks, and other legal issues that come up.”

    I think you do owe a great deal to the FSF, so how about showing some respect and and keep the GPLv3 issue off your agenda? You can forget about my money if you lose focus on technical excellence.

    • 2007-12-19 9:37 am
      Oliver

      >I think you do owe a great deal to the FSF

      Don’t be silly! We’re talking of BSD, not GNUish applications. Vice versa it’s true, there wouldn’t be even an internet without BSD.

      • 2007-12-19 10:16 am
        marafaka

        It’s not the question of me being silly or what any of the parties has done. It’s the question of either FreeBSD or FSF getting my money!

        • 2007-12-19 1:48 pm
          BluenoseJake

          If you use BSD, and want to give money, they would be the ones that you give money to. BSD uses it’s own userland, and only uses the GNU toolchain for compiling. It can use GNU software, but it doesn’t have to.

          • 2007-12-19 7:49 pm
            marafaka

            Jake, your reply is all good, and everything. I just don’t want to support the digital entertainment dealers and this puts me in a difficult position. I’ll toss the coin and try to keep a low profile.

          • 2007-12-20 3:58 pm
            BluenoseJake

            Giving money to FSF or a *BSd wouldn’t be supporting any content provider. I am not sure why you would think it would?

          • 2007-12-20 7:48 pm
            antik

            Giving money to FSF or a *BSd wouldn’t be supporting any content provider. I am not sure why you would think it would?

            Yahoo!!??

          • 2007-12-21 9:50 am
            marafaka

            Sure it is: both organizations develop tech for free and everybody is free to take it. But that’s not the problem.

            In the case of FreeBSD you can take it, and you’re not supposed to give back. Apple. If I was paid by a tech lobby, international organization or government, then I probably wouldn’t care. But as long as this is my money, and as long as I like people more than corporate logos, I’m giving it to the people. And I want it shared.

            I said I’ll toss the coin, because I want to retain some optimism in this confusion that is IT. But I’ll remember the words I saw written on the bottom of the screen:

            Copy me, I want to travel.

      • 2007-12-19 12:55 pm
        Moulinneuf

        No , your talking of your own self created Bubble of a reality. The one that deny reality and historical fact.

        BSD’s as seen exode away from it four time.

        – First by it’s founder who created SUN.

        – Second by Microsoft.

        – Third by Apple.

        – Finally the fourth time seeing BSD as having no futur most of the good developer left to get jobs at GNU/Linux commercial distribution.

        The FSF donated money to keep BSD alive in all those four period.

        Your always trying to deny the financial contribution , the code contribution and the manning and equipment donation from GNU/Linux built corporation.

        I only need to say Google ( A GNU/Linux built company ) to show almost 3/4 of the financing of BSD’s project of the past year.

        If we look at the FSF financial donation was done to support key BSD project who the BSD community can’t seem to pay for on it’s own.

        If we go trought the Financial of the GNU/Linux distribution , there are on record donation to BSD project and donation of material too.

        The Internet is built on GNU/Linux technology … So in order to not do like you and deny reality yes BSD was the pillar of the start of the internet , but today it’s relegated to be a player of no importance at all.

        Let’s not forget that BSD’s is responsible for Microsoft and Apple too …

        All in all , it’s really sad to see reality , that the FSF contributed more then those who are directly dependnat on BSD’s technology.

        • 2007-12-19 5:30 pm
          ThawkTH

          Listen, choice is what all Free Software is based on.

          Let people develop for whatever they want

          Let people use whatever they want

          Let people just believe and work with what they will and leave them alone – how could people supporting BSD hurt anything or hurt anyone?

          Jeeze…chill out

          • 2007-12-19 10:15 pm
            Moulinneuf

            “Listen” on a written post … really clever …

            Let the dumb people destroy the world … No , thanks.

            BSD is not Free Software , it can be closed. You cant close Free Software.

            There are no People in BSD.

            “how could people supporting BSD hurt anything or hurt anyone?”

            – No BSD built computers.

            – No computers with BSD as default OS.

            – No BSD service centers.

            – No BSD Labs.

            – No BSD growth of user base.

            – No BSD product evolution and improvements.

            – No Financing of innovation from the Desktop projects that BSd use ( KDE , Gnome , etc … )

            – Decades of failed promises and of undelivered solutions and products.

            – Hurting the Education system who provide a lot of BSD’s funding , who are forced to buy other OS based computers.

            – Etc …

            BSD’s actions/inactions are not without consequence.

            “Jeeze…chill out”

            As soon as I can get a BSD or GNU/Linux computer from any computer at Best buy …

          • 2007-12-20 6:01 am
            Doc Pain

            Hi there again, Moulinneuf! =^_^=

            “BSD is not Free Software , it can be closed. You cant close Free Software.”

            In fact, BSD is “very free” software because it allows others to “abuse” it. Often the BSDL is therefore called a “rape me license”.

            FreeBSD itself is free, so it cannot be closed. You’re wrong in your assumption regarding FreeBSD itself.

            But if you imply that it’s possible and legally correct to create a derivate from FreeBSD, let’s say, create a proprietary POS OS environment based upon FreeBSD and do commercial marketing, then it can be closed.

            “There are no People in BSD.”

            You will fail to prove this.

            “- No BSD built computers.”

            Can you explain what you mean?

            “- No computers with BSD as default OS.”

            Sadly, this is correct, but this is a matter of the OEMs that usually choose the kind of OS that has the best marketing (some MICROS~1 product usually). OEM is about making money, not about providing alternative or “better” OSes.

            “- No BSD service centers.

            – No BSD Labs.”

            It seems that they are not needed. There’s a very friendly and well educated community that can help you, and, of course, there’s you for yourself to use your skills, your knowledge and your experiences for the benefit of BSD’s developers and users.

            “- No Financing of innovation from the Desktop projects that BSd use ( KDE , Gnome , etc … )”

            You can use BSD without any GUI, too. 🙂

            “- Decades of failed promises and of undelivered solutions and products.”

            Could you name some?

            “- Hurting the Education system who provide a lot of BSD’s funding , who are forced to buy other OS based computers.”

            Hmmm… as far as I’ve experienced, especially young users of FreeBSD develop into well educated, intelligend, creative and friendly people, instead of those who get nerved by “Windows” day after day and get bored, arrogant or stupid… hey, that’s a joke! 🙂 But I still think this isn’t what you meant, is it?

            “As soon as I can get a BSD or GNU/Linux computer from any computer at Best buy …”

            Can you get a Sun/Solaris computer there? Or an IBM AS/400 with z/OS? Are these systems useless or even worthless therefore?

          • 2007-12-20 3:03 pm
            Moulinneuf

            I want BSD built computer with BSD as default OS in sale at Best Buy and other’s and I want BSD service center and BSD labs for more support and financial gain in order fo BSD to grow and you don’t.

            There is nothing else to say , you like how things are a complete total failure.

          • 2007-12-21 4:58 am
            Doc Pain

            Moulinneuf, your making assumptions with no facts or even indications.

            “I want BSD built computer with BSD as default OS in sale at Best Buy and other’s and I want BSD service center and BSD labs for more support and financial gain in order fo BSD to grow and you don’t.”

            In fact, I’d love to see them, but this won’t happen, simply because of the mainstream user base of BSD. Those who are using BSD on a regular basis don’t go shopping at Best Buy. They won’t even buy a pre-built PC with something pre-installed. They are the same kind of users who are working on AS/400s or in large scale data processing centers.

            For the home users who want to experience the power of BSD, there are derivates that are intended to appeal to them, for example PC-BSD or DesktopBSD.

            Feel free to prove me wrong, but that’s my opinion (according to my individual experiences and knowledge).

            But let’s first find an easier goal: Let’s have PCs with pre-installed Linux at Best Buy first, along with Linux software in shiny boxes on the shelves. Let’s see how they sell before we try to spread a product to the masses that requires much more knowledge, will of education and passion, okay?

            “There is nothing else to say , you like how things are a complete total failure.”

            I don’t think it is a total failure. As I said to another one before: Be very careful in making allquantified statements, because they can be proven wrong with only one anti-example. 🙂

            Many BSD users and developers benefit from the ongoing evolution in BSD world – how could that be a failure? The BSDs provide highly stable and reliable UNIX OSes that can serve as desktop and server OSes, and as mixed forms, too.

          • 2007-12-20 7:47 pm
            antik

            “As soon as I can get a BSD or GNU/Linux computer from any computer at Best buy …”

            You can buy computer with PC-BSD/FreeBSD from iXsystems in USA, preinstalled and preconfigured from Tigma in Estonia and from many many other companies out there…

            Buy PC-BSD from all Fry’s Electronics stores nationwide: http://www.pcbsd.org/content/view/41/1/

            Let’s stop FUD!

          • 2007-12-21 5:09 am
            Doc Pain

            “You can buy computer with PC-BSD/FreeBSD from iXsystems in USA, preinstalled and preconfigured from Tigma in Estonia and from many many other companies out there…

            Buy PC-BSD from all Fry’s Electronics stores nationwide:”

            I think that’s what Moulinneuf requested. So there are offers existing today. IÄd like to see how these products sell, but compared to the huge oh joy oh market share of PCs with preloaded MICROS~1 stuff it would hardly be recognizable, wouldn’t it?

            As I mentioned before – judging from my own experiences – people who are using BSD on a regular basis are “geeky” enough not to buy complete PCs off the shelf with something preinstalled. 🙂

            But I think for home users this PC-BSD offer may be a gread deal. Because when you have a FreeBSD OS preinstalled, just the OS, no X, no KDE, no applications, what do you have? 🙂 It would make no sense to sell such a system. Preconfigured PC-BSD systems (or DesktopBSD ones) are a much better solution.

  3. 2007-12-19 1:06 pm
    Moulinneuf

    “the past shows us that investing in open source OS development and its commercial use pays large dividends.”

    If it would have paid large dividend the BSD company of the 70’s , 80’s , 90’s and 2000’s would not be all bankrupt and only be left with poor financial projects and debt ridden foundations.

    Investing in BSD as been a waste of money for four decades.

    Otherwise there would be a company the size and financial strenght of Apple and Microsoft but with BSD as it’s core. One company using BSD and contributing to it worth 1 Billion.

    What the past as shown is that Open Source is crap alone and that it will be overrunned by the thief , liar , traitor and cowards.

    There is no denying that BSD was part of the contributor of some grand idea , but they have since then all been releguated to player of no importance , due to there own bad decision , lack of inteligent leadership , lack of real community.

    Investing in BSD is a waste of time , money , ressource and equipment. The BSD are neither gratefull for the gift they receive nor are they changing there way in order to survive in the era to come , in order to be self sustained projects.

    Invest in Free Software and GNU/Linux.

  4. 2007-12-19 1:35 pm
    chrish

    I was hoping for a FreeBSD 7 update in there, since I didn’t know what the FreeBSD Foundation was. I wanted to get RC1 as an early Giftmas present! 😉

    – chrish

  5. 2007-12-19 2:07 pm
    jackson

    Um, click the link to the report, scroll down to the bottom, and there are links to the financial reports where you can read about there the money goes. Is that so hard?

  6. 2007-12-19 8:58 pm
    reflect

    It’s funny how people bicker between the various distributions out there – I mean, we’d all benefit if we could unite and stop the bickering. To me, choose whatever you want, anything is better than Microsoft Windows (but that’s just me). For every person that picks an ‘alternative OS’ there’s one less Windows user – which is especially great if it’s a developer or someone who contributes in some other way.

    The only area I wish the BSDs would improve upon is the fileserver area. Perhaps that has been fixed now with the introduction of ZFS into FBSD, but for a long time it was a hassle to set up a large fileserver with any of the BSDs out there (limited max partition size, no decent volume manager, etc).

    • 2007-12-19 9:47 pm
      Oliver

      >anything is better than Microsoft Windows (but that’s just me).

      BSD isn’t about hating Microsoft. BSD just doesn’t care about it.

      >to set up a large fileserver with any of the BSDs

      What are you talking about? Long time ago? 199x? gvinum, …

      • 2007-12-19 9:50 pm
        reflect

        Well, iirc, there was a 2TB (or if it was 4, can’t remember) filesystem limit when I tried the last time, but I may confuse things with either OpenBSD or NetBSD. This was ~2 years ago, so not very long ago.

        My comment wasn’t about hating Microsoft, it’s about “I don’t care what you use, but if you use an alternative OS, all the better for all of us”.

        Edited 2007-12-19 22:03

  7. 2007-12-20 12:26 pm
    nullpt

    No people on BSD?

    On June/2004 netcraft reported 5 MILLION freebsd hostnames and it was growing in a steady fashion.

    This is only the internet (Freebsd is also used internaly). This is only freebsd (there are plenty of bsds and bsd based systems out there (more than linux..)). This are only the servers that netcraft can identify as freebsd (yes, many admins like me don’t like to give away server specs).

    You morons need to read and learn about what you’re talking about.

    Peace