Raiden's Realm: Why the Linux world should embrace the BSD's

Why the Linux world should embrace the BSD's (Page 1 of 1)

Written by Steve Lake
Posted on: May 02, 2008 at 01:19pm
Section: Editorials
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There are some in this world who believe that Linux is the king of all operating systems. In some ways I agree with them because Linux certainly is a big player in the server world. It may lack in market share in the the desktop sector, but that doesn't mean it's a lesser operating system. The GPL has been instrumental in this as Linux has grown, starting with a simple, barely functional kernel, and slowly, patiently evolving into the giant it is today.

But that's not to say that Linux is perfect either. In some ways, Linux reminds me of a hand grenade in a china shop. Lots of bang, lots of flash, but when the dust settles, it's all just one big shattered mess. Some of this viewpoint comes from the way Linux is developed in comparison to the BSD's. To use Eric S. Raymond's analogy of development, Linux can be compared to a Bazaar in that it's an ordered chaos where different 'sellers' offer their wares (core apps) to 'buyers' (distro creators in possession of a linux kernel) in an open (source) market place.

The BSD's however use the more orderly 'Cathedral' model where FreeBSD is shaped by the high priests (the core developers) with input from the novices. I feel that the cathedral model of development significantly trumps the Bazaar model in efficiency and quality, and thus the BSD's significantly trump Linux distros in general in overall quality of the end product.

Now at this point I suspect there are a lot of Linux advocates and zealots out there who likely are pounding on their monitors and accusing me of digital blasphemy. Well, you're welcome to do that if you want, but due note that my intent is not to bash Linux. Far from it. I love Linux and I want to see it succeed to the farthest reaches of imagination. But sometimes in order to grow, you have to face some tough facts first.

You can't grow and become stronger if you are divided and stagnant. A little division and diversity is alright, but the level of division in the Linux world is counter productive. There are too many hands pulling the cart in too many different and conflicting directions. That is why I think the Linux community should look at the BSD's for inspiration to overcome this division in the ranks. One of the BSD's defining traits is that it is a far more unified platform. While Linux has over 500 distros and growing, the total headcount in the BSD realm is at 7. They include Freebsd, OpenBSD, NetBSD, DragonflyBSD, and three others I can't name right offhand, two of which are still in early development.

That's it. Just 7. Sure, you *could* technically count DesktopBSD and PC-BSD in that mix, but they're just repackagings of Freebsd for desktop use. So to be fair, since it's popular in the Linux world to repackage existing distros and call them new (without actually changing anything major), I could include these two as well to make a total of nine. Nine from 500+ is quite a difference.

Part of the reason for this seemingly lack of diversity in the BSD world, is that the developers know that no one BSD can ever be a "jack of all trades" without sacrificing a LOT of quality. Hence the different versions that are good for different tasks. OpenBSD makes for a very good firewall and network security OS. Freebsd works well on desktops and web servers. NetBSD is good for network applications servers. PC-BSD and DesktopBSD try to tap into several of Freebsd's strengths while focusing their efforts exclusively on the desktop market. FireflyBSD is a branch of the Freebsd 4.x series which takes the older Freebsd system and uses it to fill a series of niches which the others either could not, or where it's impractical for them to do so.

The BSD's development model unified development model, as previously mentioned, gives it an advantage of order over Linux as well. With the BSD's, if something is A, it will always will be A, no matter what. On Linux though, something could be A one time, while being B or C the next, depending on the circumstances. That can become confusing to a new user, or even an expert, from time to time. Uniformity is big in the BSD's and everything is dead spot on logical. Again, it's the bazaar (Linux) vs the cathedral (BSD's) approach to development. Ordered chaos vs well directed perfection.

Because of this, I believe that it's quicker and easier to learn the BSD's than some Linux distros out there. The initial first day learning curve is a bit steep, but once you understand the logic used in the system, everything else becomes drop dead easy. Especially on the command line. Now while I admit that the ports system that the BSD's use could stand for a little polishing, the rest of the system is rock solid. There's also the fact that 5 of the 9 BSD's are on the distrowatch top 100 list as of this article. That right there says something for their popularity.

Even Netcraft agrees that the BSD's are big in the world these days. Linux may be the number one server group on the web, but the BSD's take the 3rd place ranking. Netcraft unfortunately lists them in the "Other" category, hiding their true penetration. But if you dissect that category, over 73% of servers in that list are BSD's. That makes the BSD's a commanding presence behind Linux and Windows. Yahoo is one of the biggest users of Freebsd in the world. Not the biggest, but certainly a major player. I think (and I could be slightly off on this) that they have over 1500 servers in their main data center alone, all of which run Freebsd. And that doesn't count all their other satalite data centers.

With so much power and so many advantages over Linux, shouldn't the Linux community consider embracing the BSD's? For one they're just as open source as Linux is. Admittedly they use the more "liberal" BSD license, but that shouldn't be something to stop the Linux community from embracing them. There are things that Linux can teach the BSD guys just as much as the BSD's can teach Linux a thing or two. One of them is system organization and standardization. If you've looked inside a BSD system, especially Freebsd, you will find order unlike anything else out there. It's order done so well it'd make a neat freak proud. And there's logic enough in the BSD's to even make good old Einstein smile.

Linux could benefit a lot from a partnership and embracing of the BSD's. The combined strength of both camps would be a force multiplier and would once and for all put open source over the top. So if steel sharpens steel, shouldn't Linux embrace the BSD's?

And don't let the fact that Linux and Microsoft have replaced the BSD's as king of the data center. That's just a small ripple on the water of the BSD world. In fact, way back in the early 2000's there was a major cry (mostly from Linux zealots ironically enough) that "The BSD's are dying!" Reality has proven otherwise. With the release of Freebsd 6.2, and then later 6.3 and the awesome new 7.0, as well as several major releases from Open BSD and NetBSD, the BSD's have started the long march back to the top. And if that's not enough to convince you, consider this. They're fighting the same enemies Linux is. So if the enemies are the same, the stakes are the same, the goal is the same and the prize is the same, wouldn't it stand to reason that cooperation would be in everyone's best interests? I think it would.

There's a lot to love about the BSD's. Just because I'm a strong Linux advocate doesn't mean I can't also love the BSD's. Honestly, my first love is Freebsd. I use it reverently, even as a desktop, and I have no issues with it, save on laptops. (eh, they're working on that, but so is everyone else) But then again, that's because where Linux works on both the server and desktop side (the Linux kernel devs work on the server focus, most distros work on the desktop focus), the server has been Freebsd's bread and butter for years, and that too has been its primary focus. However, in the last few years, a lot more attention has been taken to optimize FreeBSD for desktop use while not forsaking their "big iron" server commitment. So in the end, FreeBSD is after a system that is a "best of both worlds" success.

At this point you're likely asking, "So what?" Well, I've only touched the tip of a huge list of reasons why Linux should consider embracing and partnering with the BSD's. And don't worry about the licenses. The two are compatible with each other, even if it doesn't seem like it. So now that I've laid out some of the facts in this case, someone should step up and begin working with the BSD's, because in the end, we're all after the same thing.

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