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Path: euryale.cc.adfa.oz.au!newshost.anu.edu.au!harbinger.cc.monash.edu.au!news.mira.net.au!yarrina.connect.com.au!news.mel.connect.com.au!munnari.OZ.AU!news.ecn.uoknor.edu!news.cis.okstate.edu!news.ksu.ksu.edu!news.physics.uiowa.edu!math.ohio-state.edu!howland.reston.ans.net!newsfeed.internetmci.com!in2.uu.net!news.va.pubnix.com!not-for-mail From: lidl@va.pubnix.com (Kurt J. Lidl) Newsgroups: comp.unix.bsd.freebsd.misc,comp.unix.bsd.misc Subject: Re: BSDI vs FreeBSD Date: 6 Feb 1996 01:32:33 -0500 Organization: Pubnix Access Systems (Virginia) Lines: 43 Message-ID: <4f6sm1$q82@catapult.va.pubnix.com> References: <AFj4X5nCg4@qsar.chem.msu.su> <4f6eir$odk@news.quanta.com> NNTP-Posting-Host: catapult.va.pubnix.com Xref: euryale.cc.adfa.oz.au comp.unix.bsd.freebsd.misc:13334 comp.unix.bsd.misc:484 In article <4f6eir$odk@news.quanta.com>, Ross Walker <rsww@quanta.com> wrote: >Eugene Radchenko (eugene@qsar.chem.msu.su) wrote: >: I wonder what is the relation between the BSDI and FreeBSD Unix versions? > >BSDI is different from FreeBSD. It is a commercial implementation of >4.4BSD while FreeBSD is a public domain implementation. FreeBSD is a 'freely redistributable' version of 4.4BSD. It is not public domain. >I believe that BSDI uses the AT&T kernel code parts and therefore >those parts of the kernel sources cannot be distributed. This is incorrect -- the AT&T (nee USL, nee SCO) code that was distributed as part of 4.4BSD-Lite is being shipped with both BSDI and with NetBSD. Repeat after me: NET/2 is 'tainted', according to the lawyers, but 4.4BSD-Lite is 100% legal. Anything derived from 4.4BSD-Lite is therefore free of any entangling copyright problems from AT&T. >BSDI has more device drivers, but a lot are under a non-disclosure >agreement so their sources cannot be distributed only their object files. Where 'a lot' is defined as something like 5 drivers for the 2.1 release. >I'm not sure if the development software is included with BSDI. Development software (C/C++) is included in both the binary and source code distributions. >FreeBSD is of course Free and support for it can >be found through third parties. BSDI you buy the product and if you >buy the support it's there. If you buy the product from BSDi, you get support for the first couple of months. After that, you can buy additional support if you feel the need. -Kurt -- /* Kurt J. Lidl (lidl@va.pubnix.com) UUCP: <ANYWHERE>!uunet!lidl */ /* Don't confuse my opinions with my employer's opinions! */ /* E-Mail info@va.pubnix.com for info on our shell accounts. */