FreeBSD - what is it? Advantages of FreeBSD over Linux Windows

In the field of modern open source software, the word "Linux" has practically become a synonym for the term "operating system", although very few people know that in reality it is by far not the only Unix-like OS whose source codes are available for All.

According to the data received from the IOSC, in 1999 almost one third of all machines that were connected to the Internet worked on the basis of the Linux operating system , while almost 15% used the FreeBSD operating system. What kind of system is this, and to date, only a few modern PC users know, despite all its advantages and wide distribution in due time. It should be noted that many world leaders in the field of Web services are actively working on this system. In particular, it is worth noting that to date the Yahoo system is based on FreeBSD. What it gives users, they themselves hardly know and even think about, but the owners of the system are sure that this is the right decision.

What is BSD?

BSD stands for Berkeley Software Distribution. That's the way the software was called in its time, which the University of California at Berkeley distributed in the source code. It should be noted that the original addition to the standard operating system UNIX - this is the only thing that was a FreeBSD. What was this compared to the current version of the system?

Based on version 4.4 of the BSD-Lite, several operating systems were created that had open source code. In particular, the composition of these systems included the development of other projects, among which the GNU project deserves special attention.

Structure

The advantages and features that this system has are characterized by the structure of FreeBSD. What is this structure:

• The kernel, which is intended for careful planning of all processes, memory management, work with various devices, as well as support for multiprocessor systems. It should be noted that, unlike the Linux OS, in this case there are several types of BSD cores, which differ in different features.
• Library C, which is used as the main system programming interface, and is based on the Berkeley code, not the GNI project.
• All sorts of file utilities, compilers, shells, link editors, and other end user programs, some of which are based on the GNU code.
• FreeBSD UNIX is an operating system that includes the X Window, which is directly responsible for the graphical interface. This system is used in the majority of BSD versions and is officially supported by the X.Org project. This system allows the user to make a choice from several graphical shells, as well as a number of light window managers.
• A large number of other system and application programs.

What is real UNIX?

It's worth noting that FreeBSD UNIX itself is an operating system that is always different. And the types of such systems are not clones of each other. They are just descendants of a common ancestor - the traditional UNIX operating system. This fact can surprise you, especially if you remember that the developer of this operating system has never disclosed to the general public the codes of his developments.

BSD is UNIX?

Indeed, the UNIX operating system has never been a software that has open source code, so BSD definitely can not be called a UNIX system, if only because the graphical interface of operating systems is different. However, at the same time, the company that developed UNIX, actively used other people's developments, and in particular this applies to software developed by CSRG.

Initially, BSD distributions, as well as the graphical interface of operating systems, consisted of user program complexes, and this situation continued until the company entered into a contract with DARPA subordinate to the US Department of Defense. The purpose of this contract is to update the various communication protocols on which the agency's computer network was supported.

During the 1980s, several companies were formed to manufacture workstations, while it should be noted that many of them acquired licenses for the use of UNIX, rather than trying to develop their own software from scratch. In particular, it is worth highlighting the company Sun, which did so and decided on the basis of version 4.2BSD to eventually release its own OS, called SunOSTM. When AT & T, the developer of UNIX, eventually decided to deal with the commercial sale of its own operating system, a rather ascetic implementation appeared - System III, followed by the output of the System V.

For what reason does this operating system remain unclaimed?

There are a number of reasons why FreeBSD 10 is not so widely popular today:

• Developers are most often interested in the quality of their own code, and more than its polishing, rather than advertising.
• By and large, the popularity of Linux is a consequence of a number of external factors regarding this project, in particular, it concerns the mass media, as well as companies that decided to form their own business, providing services to users of this operating system.
• BSD developers are mostly more experienced than Linux developers, so they pay less attention to making life easier for ordinary users. In other words, setting up FreeBSD for a regular user is more complicated than setting up Linux.
• In 1992, the UNIX developer decided to sue BSDI, which was responsible for the delivery of the BSD / 386 operating system. The main point of the charge in this case was that the OS contained a private code belonging to the plaintiff, and it seems that the case was ultimately settled outside the court in 1994, but a whole series of secondary lawsuits even today are poisoning the lives of many people.
• There is an opinion that the BSD projects themselves are different and can even conflict with each other. This opinion is based on events that occurred long ago.

Which is better - Linux or BSD?

To date, most often choose to install the server Apache, FreeBSD, instead of the traditional for most other Linux systems. For the average user, the difference between these systems is surprisingly small, since both products are based on UNIX. Both systems are developed on a non-commercial basis.

Who owns the BSD?

It is worth noting that there is no specific person or company that owns the development of BSD. The development, as well as the subsequent dissemination of this system is carried out by a whole group of highly qualified and at the same time dedicated to the project specialists gathered from all over the world. Certain BSD components are separate projects that have open source code that has its own laws and development teams.

What should I choose?

The choice between these operating systems is really quite complex, so there are several tips that can help you choose which option is optimal - Linux or FreeBSD. Teams in both cases are quite similar, so the choice can most often be based on the following:

• If you already use a certain Open Source OS, then in this case you should not even change something.
• FreeBSD systems can be much more productive, but this rule is not universal.
• BSD systems have a fairly good reputation, and especially reliability.
• BSD projects are distinguished by a better reputation due to the fact that they are of high quality, as well as the completeness of the available documentation.
• In BSD, you can use the majority of executable Linux files, while Linux can not use many executable BSD files.

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