BSD to leapfrog Linux?
Summary
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Much of the excitement revolves around Darwin, "thefifth BSD." Darwin is published by Apple and available for download fromPublicSource.Apple.Comunder the ApplePublic Source License. Darwin underpins MacOS X, and will thusput BSD in many millions of new hands in Q1 of 2001 -- if Appleactually succeeds in meeting that ship date (something veteranApple observers will probably believe when they see).
Darwin is built around a NeXT-like Mach microkernel that issaid to be somewhat less microkernel-like than NeXT. It borrowsmachine-specific code from NetBSD, the version of BSD thatfocuses on portability and now runs on more than 30 platforms.Going forward, it will track a stable version of FreeBSD, whichis the more popular and traditionally x86-only version thatclaims about a million users worldwide, according to Coleman.
Darwin lacks Aqua, Apple's sexy window manager and graphicalenvironment, and other proprietary Apple touches. However, aport of XFree86 and other free open source stop-gaps make itusable in its own right. Besides making Darwin available forfree download, Apple is expected to announce a Darwin CDdistribution partnership on Monday for the 1.2 release.
The on-schedule release of FreeBSD's central figurehead Jordan Hubbard recentlypublished an inspired Hubbard's quibbles aside, Apple hasclearly made great strides in open source PR since the days when theywere viewed as Coleman, too, is clearly psyched about the prospects of wider exposurefor BSDs. In addition to publishing DaemonNews and serving as OpenSource editor for the BSD portion of FreeBSD and OpenBSD have about 4,100 and 1,000 packages, respectively, intheir "ports collections," while NetBSD has about 2,000 in its"package source collection." Coleman and openpackages.orghope to standardize on an effective admininstrative tool and packagingformat for all the BSDs that could simplify BSD administration andmake more software available to all BSD users. BSD has sometimes been criticized for the Balkanization of its variousbranches. While each branch has a specific focus -- OpenBSD on security,NetBSD on portability, FreeBSD on x86, and BSDI on commercial support --dissent in the developer ranks has sometimes hurt BSD. The BSDdevelopment model revolves around smaller, tighter and more closeddevelopement circles than Linux. While there may be perhaps 200with commit privileges in FreeBSD, there are only nine on the"core team." Coleman is proud to have helped start the DaemonNews in 1998, in partbecause it serves all of the BSDs. "We were the first publication tofocus on BSD, rather than a specific flavor of BSD." Initially an all-volunteer undertaking, DaemonNews has shifted slowlyto a staff-based model, thanks in part to ad sales and in part toproceeds from the DaemonNewsMall.com,its e-commerce branch. Centering around the key efforts of about 15 people,DaemonNews publishes a fresh round of stories on the first of each month,a schedule that should make the shift into print relatively painless. DaemonNews print will sell for $4.95, with subscriptions sellingdomestically for $24.95 per year and also available to internationalcustomers. Publication will start out bi-monthly, with monthlyshipments expected before 2002. Circulation is projected to startat 10,000 for the first issue. "Ad sales are going really well sofar," according to Coleman. Those wishing to become premier subscribers to DaemonNews print can
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