LinuxQuestions.org
Help answer threads with 0 replies.
Go Back   LinuxQuestions.org > Forums > Linux Forums > Linux - General
User Name
Password
Linux - General This Linux forum is for general Linux questions and discussion.
If it is Linux Related and doesn't seem to fit in any other forum then this is the place.

Notices


Reply
  Search this Thread
Old 01-30-2014, 09:30 AM   #1
punchy71
Member
 
Registered: Dec 2011
Posts: 172

Rep: Reputation: Disabled
What are the origins, purposes and strayings of Linux and FreeBSD?


Greetings,
I know that both Linux and FreeBSD have changed a lot over the years. I am under the impression that the code base of these Operating Systems keeps growing and growing becoming larger and more extensive with each new version (code base bloatation?).
So I was trying to determine what the origins of the main Linux and FreeBSD distros were. For example; I have always wondered what Debian was ORIGINALLY *INTENDED* for (it's intentions, in other words, from the start) and what hardware it was originally designed for and started out on in it's beginning and where it was developed initially. In the same vein, I also had the same wonderings and questions with all the other main "big gun" distros, like: Red Hat, Slackware, FreeBSD, Gentoo and Arch. What was their orinal purpose and what hardware platforms did they originally start out on in the first place? What was the original design goals in the beginning, and also how they have strayed from their roots (if any) over the years? Who has strayed the most and who stuck closest to their original purpose?

Thanks
 
Old 01-30-2014, 11:57 AM   #2
DavidMcCann
LQ Veteran
 
Registered: Jul 2006
Location: London
Distribution: PCLinuxOS, Debian
Posts: 6,131

Rep: Reputation: 2302Reputation: 2302Reputation: 2302Reputation: 2302Reputation: 2302Reputation: 2302Reputation: 2302Reputation: 2302Reputation: 2302Reputation: 2302Reputation: 2302
That's a big question.

Linux originally started as a Unix replacement for the desktop computer. But because Unix was generally used on servers (and started on mainframes), Linux will do for anything. Obviously, each distro has its target audience and many will tell you what that is on their web site. Debian and Fedora both have very detailed "about" pages. I think most have stuck to their goals. SUSE and Red Hat are interesting that they split off their free versions as separate distros and aim them more at home users.

Since the kernel is the same for all and most also have the GNU tools, they are all flexible. But wandering away from their intended function will mean more work. In an enterprise environment, you need automated installation: the sys-admin doesn't want to sit down in front of every computer and run the installer again and again! So Debian and CentOS are OK, but not Slackware (although the quality is just as high). I run CentOS on a desktop, but I obviously have to get extra software that an enterprise distro leaves out.
 
Old 01-30-2014, 12:34 PM   #3
JWJones
Senior Member
 
Registered: Jun 2009
Posts: 1,444

Rep: Reputation: 709Reputation: 709Reputation: 709Reputation: 709Reputation: 709Reputation: 709Reputation: 709
That is a big question.

Speaking only for Slackware, the oldest surviving Linux distro, it began as bug fixes and modifications to SLS Linux:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Slackware
 
Old 01-30-2014, 04:54 PM   #4
enorbet
Senior Member
 
Registered: Jun 2003
Location: Virginia
Distribution: Slackware = Main OpSys
Posts: 4,776

Rep: Reputation: 4425Reputation: 4425Reputation: 4425Reputation: 4425Reputation: 4425Reputation: 4425Reputation: 4425Reputation: 4425Reputation: 4425Reputation: 4425Reputation: 4425
Quote:
Originally Posted by DavidMcCann View Post
<snip> In an enterprise environment, you need automated installation: the sys-admin doesn't want to sit down in front of every computer and run the installer again and again! So Debian and CentOS are OK, but not Slackware (although the quality is just as high). I run CentOS on a desktop, but I obviously have to get extra software that an enterprise distro leaves out.

I don't follow this line of thinking. Are you implying that Slackware cannot be installed unattended? and further that this is why it is less common in enterprise?

Edit: with further consideration, why did you even bring up Enterprise in the first place? The word doesn't even appear in OP. Is it perhaps because BSD is considered more serious and server side? or that ALL Linux distros have strayed from original purposes and intents? Witness the so-called "Init Wars". I contend that the degree of adoption of binary configs and even logs is in direct proportion to "straying".

If a basic tenet of BSD is to follow text streams use simple text scripts for configuration, then Slackware is not only the oldest but also the closest adherent to it's roots. It still uses BSD /etc/rc.d scripts.

All Linux distros have some systemd creeping in which is anti text streams and configurations, but some distros really jump on the bandwagon with apparently little concern for where the driver is headed. Debian and CentOS are not in a huge hurry (well....CentOS is a little more twitchy, naturally) , but CentOS's lil' brother, Fedora IS!

I don't know where OP is headed with this, but if you want a simple answer I don't know how you can qualitatively compare. Some distros are approaching 20 years old, while others are barely 4. Four isn't exactly a lot of legacy to adhere to :P

Last edited by enorbet; 01-31-2014 at 04:39 AM.
 
Old 02-04-2014, 04:29 AM   #5
chrism01
LQ Guru
 
Registered: Aug 2004
Location: Sydney
Distribution: Rocky 9.2
Posts: 18,348

Rep: Reputation: 2749Reputation: 2749Reputation: 2749Reputation: 2749Reputation: 2749Reputation: 2749Reputation: 2749Reputation: 2749Reputation: 2749Reputation: 2749Reputation: 2749
You may like this http://futurist.se/gldt/wp-content/u...0/gldt1210.png & http://www.techradar.com/us/news/sof...enguin-1113914 & http://www.unix.org/what_is_unix/history_timeline.html

Last edited by chrism01; 02-04-2014 at 04:38 AM.
 
Old 02-04-2014, 01:55 PM   #6
sundialsvcs
LQ Guru
 
Registered: Feb 2004
Location: SE Tennessee, USA
Distribution: Gentoo, LFS
Posts: 10,609
Blog Entries: 4

Rep: Reputation: 3905Reputation: 3905Reputation: 3905Reputation: 3905Reputation: 3905Reputation: 3905Reputation: 3905Reputation: 3905Reputation: 3905Reputation: 3905Reputation: 3905
"Intentions," of course, change over time. The kernel that Linus Torvalds originally wrote in his dorm-room bears little if any resemblance to the "Linux" system(s) that we know and use today. They've changed in all sorts of ways -- yes, including installation and administration tools -- and they support over 25 different hardware architectures. ("x86" is only one.) Linux, today, is a very big thing.
 
  


Reply


Thread Tools Search this Thread
Search this Thread:

Advanced Search

Posting Rules
You may not post new threads
You may not post replies
You may not post attachments
You may not edit your posts

BB code is On
Smilies are On
[IMG] code is On
HTML code is Off



Similar Threads
Thread Thread Starter Forum Replies Last Post
Advice needed for running Linux distro for both server and desktop purposes michaelbui Linux - Newbie 2 07-15-2013 02:50 AM
Linux for Scientific/Numerical computing purposes uetian Linux - Newbie 4 01-04-2010 07:38 PM
LXer: Linux Evolution Reveals Origins of Curious Mathematical Phenomenon LXer Syndicated Linux News 0 12-02-2008 07:20 PM
Best Linux for...security purposes? :P blackjack90 Linux - Newbie 2 02-01-2006 09:25 AM
Linux System Inventory Tool for Debugging Purposes polaris098 Linux - Software 0 11-27-2004 05:48 PM

LinuxQuestions.org > Forums > Linux Forums > Linux - General

All times are GMT -5. The time now is 04:30 AM.

Main Menu
Advertisement
My LQ
Write for LQ
LinuxQuestions.org is looking for people interested in writing Editorials, Articles, Reviews, and more. If you'd like to contribute content, let us know.
Main Menu
Syndicate
RSS1  Latest Threads
RSS1  LQ News
Twitter: @linuxquestions
Open Source Consulting | Domain Registration