Introducing UbuntuBSD
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Softpedia reports on a new open source project that just came to light this past week. UbuntuBSD is an attempt to merge the Ubuntu ecosystem with the FreeBSD kernel, which does not use the much maligned SystemD. This is a very new project but could be very interesting. Use of the BSD kernel means that ZFS is available as a native filesystem (and is used by default) and XFCe is being used as the desktop. Downloads in ISO form are already available for those interested in checking things out.
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Download already underway here.
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Installer is running on the Scale HC3 cluster. So far it looks just like any normal Ubuntu 15.10 install.
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It is up and running.
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pkg or apt-get?
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for us 'nix wannabes - what's the difference between the BSD kernel and the Linux kernel?
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@marcinozga said:
pkg or apt-get?
Still apt based. Only the kernel is changed. And so far, that doesn't show up as changed, which is odd.
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@Dashrender said:
for us 'nix wannabes - what's the difference between the BSD kernel and the Linux kernel?
Two completely different kernels. Everything in them is unique. So different file systems, network stacks, schedulers, everything. Only the utilities running on top are the same.
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@DustinB3403 said:
@scottalanmiller said:
It is up and running.
Screencaps?
http://mangolassi.it/topic/8574/testing-ubuntubsd-on-the-scale-hc3
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@scottalanmiller said:
@Dashrender said:
for us 'nix wannabes - what's the difference between the BSD kernel and the Linux kernel?
Two completely different kernels. Everything in them is unique. So different file systems, network stacks, schedulers, everything. Only the utilities running on top are the same.
How does this effect software running on them? I assume it must be compiled specifically for BSD?
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@Dashrender said:
How does this effect software running on them? I assume it must be compiled specifically for BSD?
Nothing needs to be done. Linux and BSD are the same API - POSIX. And there is no concept of "compiling for an OS." OSes are not architectures. The idea that this is the case mostly comes from the 1990s era Windows and Mac issues because Windows was always IA32 and Mac was always M68K. So the two consumer OSes always ran on unique architectures. But this is BSD AMD64 and Linux AMD64, they share architecture AND API. Only things that would be normally unique are things that report on the kernel itself, like the kernel tools themselves.
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So it's the lack of API that prevents Windows apps from running on Linux? Which WINE tries to provide?
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@Dashrender said:
So it's the lack of API that prevents Windows apps from running on Linux? Which WINE tries to provide?
Well to a very small degree, but the Windows API (aka the system calls) have been replicated. Just as the POSIX ones are available via a role on Windows. System Calls are pretty easy to replicate.
What is lacking on Ubuntu (or CentOS.... whatever) that Windows has is an extensive library system of DLLs. Every one of which has to be fully replicated before some things will run. Wine's big goal is to replicate every version, of every DLL. That's a lot.
UbuntuBSD is able to take all of the normal Ubuntu DLLs and supply them on top of BSD. Ta da. Instant compatibility for 99%+ of software.
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Likewise, another open source UNIX kernel that is well known and heavily used is the Mach microkernel from Carnegie Mellon. It is that kernel that Apple decided that it liked and they took FreeBSD, removed the BSD kernel and replaced it with Mach. Mach, Linux and BSD are all POSIX compliant so swapping out the kernels, while not something you do in an afternoon while bored, is relatively easy and stable. They all use the same API and the libraries that run on top of them are pretty universal. They all talk using the same system calls via C.
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@scottalanmiller said:
Likewise, another open source UNIX kernel that is well known and heavily used is the Mach microkernel from Carnegie Mellon. It is that kernel that Apple decided that it liked and they took FreeBSD, removed the BSD kernel and replaced it with Mach. Mach, Linux and BSD are all POSIX compliant so swapping out the kernels, while not something you do in an afternoon while bored, is relatively easy and stable. They all use the same API and the libraries that run on top of them are pretty universal. They all talk using the same system calls via C.
I would assume that because there are so many different Kernels and types.... (even the Windows Kernel, in some respects) they are all better suited for different work loads?
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@dafyre said:
@scottalanmiller said:
Likewise, another open source UNIX kernel that is well known and heavily used is the Mach microkernel from Carnegie Mellon. It is that kernel that Apple decided that it liked and they took FreeBSD, removed the BSD kernel and replaced it with Mach. Mach, Linux and BSD are all POSIX compliant so swapping out the kernels, while not something you do in an afternoon while bored, is relatively easy and stable. They all use the same API and the libraries that run on top of them are pretty universal. They all talk using the same system calls via C.
I would assume that because there are so many different Kernels and types.... (even the Windows Kernel, in some respects) they are all better suited for different work loads?
Yes. Linux has lots of options, BSD is really good at networking.
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@scottalanmiller said:
@Dashrender said:
So it's the lack of API that prevents Windows apps from running on Linux? Which WINE tries to provide?
Well to a very small degree, but the Windows API (aka the system calls) have been replicated. Just as the POSIX ones are available via a role on Windows. System Calls are pretty easy to replicate.
What is lacking on Ubuntu (or CentOS.... whatever) that Windows has is an extensive library system of DLLs. Every one of which has to be fully replicated before some things will run. Wine's big goal is to replicate every version, of every DLL. That's a lot.
UbuntuBSD is able to take all of the normal Ubuntu DLLs and supply them on top of BSD. Ta da. Instant compatibility for 99%+ of software.
DLL's (Correct me if I'm wrong) are also the cause of a lot of the issues you run into with windows due to DLL versions etc.
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@wirestyle22 said:
@scottalanmiller said:
@Dashrender said:
So it's the lack of API that prevents Windows apps from running on Linux? Which WINE tries to provide?
Well to a very small degree, but the Windows API (aka the system calls) have been replicated. Just as the POSIX ones are available via a role on Windows. System Calls are pretty easy to replicate.
What is lacking on Ubuntu (or CentOS.... whatever) that Windows has is an extensive library system of DLLs. Every one of which has to be fully replicated before some things will run. Wine's big goal is to replicate every version, of every DLL. That's a lot.
UbuntuBSD is able to take all of the normal Ubuntu DLLs and supply them on top of BSD. Ta da. Instant compatibility for 99%+ of software.
DLL's (Correct me if I'm wrong) are also the cause of a lot of the issues you run into with windows due to DLL versions etc.
It happens on Linux too... but to a lesser degree in modern times.
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@wirestyle22 said:
@scottalanmiller said:
@Dashrender said:
So it's the lack of API that prevents Windows apps from running on Linux? Which WINE tries to provide?
Well to a very small degree, but the Windows API (aka the system calls) have been replicated. Just as the POSIX ones are available via a role on Windows. System Calls are pretty easy to replicate.
What is lacking on Ubuntu (or CentOS.... whatever) that Windows has is an extensive library system of DLLs. Every one of which has to be fully replicated before some things will run. Wine's big goal is to replicate every version, of every DLL. That's a lot.
UbuntuBSD is able to take all of the normal Ubuntu DLLs and supply them on top of BSD. Ta da. Instant compatibility for 99%+ of software.
DLL's (Correct me if I'm wrong) are also the cause of a lot of the issues you run into with windows due to DLL versions etc.
It's a dynamic library. They are about the same on Windows as dynamic libraries anywhere.
