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Originally Posted by Ireclan
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Originally Posted by GoldfrappJenny
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Regarding the question why PC-BSD isn't more popular : the Linux hype with all the script-kiddies and other wannabe-geeks, the usual Windows dominance due to MS tactics, etc. Many do even not know BSD in general.
See here http://forums.pcbsd.org/viewtopic.php?t=9373
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Actually, I believe BSD didn't become as popular due to legal troubles of some sort. Once the original BSD had a lawsuit against it, developers wouldn't touch it with a ten-foot pole. Enter Linus Torvalds, who, because the only Unix-like freely available was embroiled in a legal battle, created the Linux kernel. If BSD hadn't had that legal trouble (just who was involved I forget, but it was over someone allegedly using someone else's code), Linus himself states he wouldn't have made the Linux kernel. As far as the Microsoft thing, you're 100 percent correct.
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First company to port successfully Unix to PC computers was SCO (Santa Cruz)
that just lost the lawsuit against Novel for the ownership of Unix. Novel is just a MS proxy.
BSD unlike Linux kernel is not a clone of Unix but real Unix so ATT (Bell Labs owner) where Ken Thomson started writing Unix as an experimental operating system started a lawsuit in 1992 against University of California Berkley
for (BSD stands for Berkley Software Distribution) infringement of intellectual property.
The lawsuit resulted in removal of 3 files from the BSD. Torval Linux who was a Ph. D.
student working on research on Operating Systems (Finland) decided to code the clone of Unix which he will use on his PC. The rest is history.
The only two authentic descendant of original Unix are BSDs actually descending from V5 Unix and Solaris which is descendant of original BSD Unix started at University of Calirofnia Berkley 1972 by Bill Joy.
Microsoft original Plan was also to port a Unix and their version was to be called Xunix.
Unfortunately old 8086 PC machines did not have hard drive so it was impossible to use Unix.
MS quick fix was to buy a Q-DOS (Quick Dirty Operating System) from an obscure California company and create MS-DOS which is up to present Operating System sold by MS known by name of its GUI Windows. MS-DOS has not been written originally for 386 architecture,
it has never been intended to be used for Internet connected computers or as a server OS.
It was written to boot from the floppy and power 8086 machine which did quite well (almost as good as Amiga operating system
.
Faced with difficulties and serious competition from such project as NEXT Microsoft
has given up on Xunix indulging in lasting practice of deception, lies and dirty trick to eliminate
any competition. Instead of rewriting an OS from the scratch they decided to try to patch something that can not be fixed.
The shades of project NEXT still live Apple OS X operating system which
despite the fact that is really Unix based has the same customer base as MS of people who want to click their way out.
Nice summary of the origins of BSD project can be found in Greg Lehey's book The Complete BSD that could be freely downloaded from his web site.
The secret of Linux success is not so much Linux or GNU movement started by Richard Stelman of MIT but rather secret support given to Linux by major industry players as
IBM and HP who were afraid of being marginalized on the main frame by MS and its puppets.
PCBSD rocks
Linear Mode
