Berkeley Software Distribution: Difference between revisions
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In 1977 the first Berkeley UNIX version was released, from a lab run by a grad student named [[Bill Joy]] (who would subsequently become one of the 'big names' in Unix and Computer history in general when he co-founded [[Sun Microsystems]]). | In 1977 the first Berkeley UNIX version was released, from a lab run by a grad student named [[Bill Joy]] (who would subsequently become one of the 'big names' in Unix and Computer history in general when he co-founded [[Sun Microsystems]]). | ||
==BSD Today== | |||
Today the most popular examples of BSD Unix are the three 'top tier' descendants: | |||
*FreeBSD, which started life partially as an outgrowth of the 'Unofficial [[386BSD]] Patchkit'. Having roots in 386/BSD, the first version of BSD to run on the [[Intel]] [[386]] processor,<ref name="386BSD.org">{{cite web|url=http://www.386bsd.org/past|title="386BSD"|date=Retreived 14-April-2007}}</ref> FreeBSD is generally known for its performance on the x86 architecture, although it has since branched out to other architectures as well.<ref name="FreeBSD Handbook:About the FreeBSD Project">{{cite web|url=http://www.freebsd.org/doc/en_US.ISO8859-1/books/handbook/history.html|title="About the FreeBSD Project"|date=Retrieved 11-April-2007}}</ref> | |||
*NetBSD, the variant of BSD that is known for its [[portability]]. NetBSD carries the repuatation of being able to "run on anything," and its homepage prominently touts "Of course it runs NetBSD."<ref name="NetBSD Homepage">{{cite web|url=www.netbsd.org|title="NetBSD Homepage"|date=Retrieved 07-April-2007}}</ref> | |||
*OpenBSD is commonly known as one of the most secure releases of Unix to date, due to full code audits the project has done and several important aspects of its design. Also notable are its developers' adherence to proactive security and the operating system's integrated cryptography. OpenBSD's homepage reflects their pride in security: "Only two remote holes in the default install, in more than 10 years!"<ref name="OpenBSD Homepage">{{cite web|url=http://www.openbsd.org|title="OpenBSD Homepage"|date=Retrieved 11-April-2007}}</ref> | |||
==BSD Licenses== | ==BSD Licenses== | ||
''See main article: [[Berkeley Software Distribution licenses]]''<br/> | ''See main article: [[Berkeley Software Distribution licenses]]''<br/> | ||
The BSD family of licenses are considered "[[Permissive licenses]]," meaning users are granted complete control over software that is derived from the original BSD Licensed software. | The BSD family of licenses are considered "[[Permissive licenses]]," meaning users and developers are granted complete control (almost to the level of being in the [[public domain]]) over software that is derived from the original BSD Licensed software. | ||
==Related Topics== | ==Related Topics== | ||
Revision as of 14:02, 14 April 2007
Berkeley Software Distribution is a derivative of the Unix operating system that was created by and is distributed by the University of California, Berkeley. The first official release of "Berkeley UNIX" was in 1977.[1] Other derivatives of the original BSD Unix such as FreeBSD, NetBSD and OpenBSD are also collectively known as "the BSDs." BSD Unix and its derivitives have had a profound influence in the architecture and design of future modern operating systems, from Linux to Mac OS X to Microsoft Windows (especially Windows NT).
History
In the mid 1970s the Berkeley campus of the University of California became a hotbed of activity in the budding world of Unix operating system development. When one of the original creators of Unix (Ken Thompson) taught there during a sabbatical in 1975-1976[1] this also encouraged students at the University to hack away on a brand-new, revolutionary OS (operating system).
In 1977 the first Berkeley UNIX version was released, from a lab run by a grad student named Bill Joy (who would subsequently become one of the 'big names' in Unix and Computer history in general when he co-founded Sun Microsystems).
BSD Today
Today the most popular examples of BSD Unix are the three 'top tier' descendants:
- FreeBSD, which started life partially as an outgrowth of the 'Unofficial 386BSD Patchkit'. Having roots in 386/BSD, the first version of BSD to run on the Intel 386 processor,[2] FreeBSD is generally known for its performance on the x86 architecture, although it has since branched out to other architectures as well.[3]
- NetBSD, the variant of BSD that is known for its portability. NetBSD carries the repuatation of being able to "run on anything," and its homepage prominently touts "Of course it runs NetBSD."[4]
- OpenBSD is commonly known as one of the most secure releases of Unix to date, due to full code audits the project has done and several important aspects of its design. Also notable are its developers' adherence to proactive security and the operating system's integrated cryptography. OpenBSD's homepage reflects their pride in security: "Only two remote holes in the default install, in more than 10 years!"[5]
BSD Licenses
See main article: Berkeley Software Distribution licenses
The BSD family of licenses are considered "Permissive licenses," meaning users and developers are granted complete control (almost to the level of being in the public domain) over software that is derived from the original BSD Licensed software.
Related Topics
Subtopics
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 "Origins and History of Unix, 1969-1995" (retreived 07-April-2007).
- ↑ "386BSD" (Retreived 14-April-2007).
- ↑ "About the FreeBSD Project" (Retrieved 11-April-2007).
- ↑ [www.netbsd.org "NetBSD Homepage"] (Retrieved 07-April-2007).
- ↑ "OpenBSD Homepage" (Retrieved 11-April-2007).