Announcing WiFiBSD

flynn_nrg writes "WifiBSD is a minimalistic version of FreeBSD based on the 5.x branch. WifiBSD is aimed for wireless routers running on embedded devices such as boards from soekris.com. In addition to the wi driver WifiBSD includes support for Atheros's 802.11b/g and 802.11a/b/g Wireless LAN Chipsets. The latest version of WifiBSD can be found here."

Comments

A good thing?

[DesScorp]

While I'm glad to see BSD becoming more prominent and giving Linux some competition, I'm a little worried about something; the ongoing attempt to make BSD and Linux "all things to all people". In other words, to put these OS's on everything from small embedded chips in cell phones, to huge enterprise class server setups. I think this approach only creates more bloat in an OS.

Granted, you can take the source code, modify it heavily for your purpose (embedded routers in this case), and it might bear little resemblance to the parent OS. But is it still BSD or Linux then? How far can you alter it before it becomes a radical offshoot, and in truth, a different OS?

Re:A good thing?

[trippinonbsd]

Granted, you can take the source code, modify it heavily for your purpose (embedded routers in this case), and it might bear little resemblance to the parent OS. But is it still BSD or Linux then? How far can you alter it before it becomes a radical offshoot, and in truth, a different OS?
A different os? Probly not, maybe a new sub distro, but they are still most likely using a kernel that greatly resemebles (linux) or in this case BSD. They might have cut out, recompiled, or replaced some userland binarys (for size concerns) but its still not that much different. An rc script here or there, its still based strongly off its parent.

Re:A good thing?

[Arandir]

If it's not going to be Linux or BSD based, then it's going to be Windows based. And my bias makes me lean away from Windows.

For some devices, neither of these are appropriate, but try telling that to the CEO or his marketing department. But at least with a free Unix like OS, you can truly modify it for use on your unique hardware. And even if it's not a stock Linux or BSD anymore, when marketing demands it have a firewire port next year, you can still use the stock firewire driver.

minibsd

[JDizzy]

The project is based on minibsd, which is based on freebsd.

Re:minibsd

[Thornae]

Purely out of interest, how'd you know that?
I wouldn't have guessed it, but looking at the wifibsd kernel's resemblance to the recommended kernel entries for minibsd, it appears you're right. I'm guessing you've either got inside knowledge, or scary familiarity with minibsd. Which is it, or am I completely off track?

Re:minibsd

[JDizzy]

I'm actually friends with the guy that created wifibsd, and we both work on miniturization of freebsd, and we are both into wireless stuff. We hangout in IRC and are basically the resident 802.11 thugs. So yes, you could say I have an inside knowledge. Truth be told, Yazzy (aka Martin Jessa) finished this last night, posted a blurb in #freebsd, and then one of the lurkers posted to slashdot. So both theories are true: I got scarry knowledge of minibsd, and inside knowledge of wifibsd. What is more scarry is how the BSD community is so tightly bound together.

Mmhm.

[Thornae]

...and whilst that was a nice informative article, it was also noticeably linux specific (of course, you couldn't be trolling - not with a closing line like that).
This being the BSD area of /., I think a few BSD targetted articles on configuring WAPs
might be more apt.

That said, this WiFiBSD thing looks like a nice little development. Could well come in handy.

Re:Why is this a good thing?

[Arandir]

If this works great, than WiFi vendors don't owe the community a cent.

BSD worked great for Apple. And guess what? They're giving back to the community! I just guess it goes to show that the public won't act like thieves when you don't treat them like thieves.

Improvements over PicoBSD?

[hhw]

Running a BSD based wireless router off a floppy has been possible with PicoBSD for years. I fail to see how WiFiBSD accomplishes anything, aside from distributing the floppy image, which has already been done by theWall

Re:Improvements over PicoBSD?

[ezunix]

WifiBSD is the first project to support the latest Atheros chips. Now you can use your soekris boards with 11a/b/g cards gaining up to 108 mbit/s.

Re:Why is this a good thing?

[hhw]

Thus the WiFi vendor does not adopt linux, and no one benefits because of the restrictiveness of the GPL.

On the other hand, that same WiFi vendor adopts BSD since it can without any negative repercussions. Although it is not legally compelled to disclose its modification, it still makes good business sense for the vendor to support the BSD community since their products are based on it. It is thus likely for them to make some contribution, the extent depending on the vendor's management. In any event, the BSD community has benefitted.

In addition, the consumers of that vendor's product benefit. The savings of the vendor over producing something inhouse or purchasing from a 3rd party can be passed on to consumers. As well, the consumers receive a quality product based on tried and true BSD.

Thus, plenty of good things come from the vendor's adoption of BSD. Nothing good results when the vendor simply decides not to use linux.

WirelessLeiden.nl

[dirkx]

Us, that is the folks at http://www.wirelessleiden.nl/ have done very much the same. Lets add the link to Subversion (cvs like source code mngt. system) with all the code - so that we can at least copy each others wheels.

Background: http://www.wirelessleiden.nl/wcl/cgi-bin/moin.cgi/ NodeFactory

Code (in public subversion):
http://wleiden.webweaving.org:8080/svn/node-config /factory/trunk/install/install.sh
http://wleiden.webweaving.org:8080/svn/node-config /factory/trunk/

Machines using the code: http://www.wirelessleiden.nl/wcl/cgi-bin/moin.cgi/ NodeMap

Though this one is a bit more fully fledged; as it also includes SNMP management and OSPF routing.

Dw.