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NetBSD 5.0 RC1 Released
jschauma writes "The first release candidate of NetBSD 5.0 is now available for download from the NetBSD FTP site. Here is the Release Engineering status of 5.0."
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It is now official. Netcraft confirms: *BSD is dying
One more crippling bombshell hit the already beleaguered *BSD community when IDC confirmed that *BSD market share has dropped yet again, now down to less than a fraction of 1 percent of all servers. Coming on the heels of a recent Netcraft survey which plainly states that *BSD has lost more market share, this news serves to reinforce what we've known all along. *BSD is collapsing in complete disarray, as fittingly exemplified by failing dead last in the recent Sys Admin comprehensive networking test.
You don't need to be the Amazing Kreskin to predict *BSD's future. The hand writing is on the wall: *BSD faces a bleak future. In fact there won't be any future at all for *BSD because *BSD is dying. Things are looking very bad for *BSD. As many of us are already aware, *BSD continues to lose market share. Red ink flows like a river of blood.
FreeBSD is the most endangered of them all, having lost 93% of its core developers. The sudden and unpleasant departures of long time FreeBSD developers Jordan Hubbard and Mike Smith only serve to underscore the point more clearly. There can no longer be any doubt: FreeBSD is dying.
Let's keep to the facts and look at the numbers.
OpenBSD leader Theo states that there are 7000 users of OpenBSD. How many users of NetBSD are there? Let's see. The number of OpenBSD versus NetBSD posts on Usenet is roughly in ratio of 5 to 1. Therefore there are about 7000/5 = 1400 NetBSD users. BSD/OS posts on Usenet are about half of the volume of NetBSD posts. Therefore there are about 700 users of BSD/OS. A recent article put FreeBSD at about 80 percent of the *BSD market. Therefore there are (7000+1400+700)*4 = 36400 FreeBSD users. This is consistent with the number of FreeBSD Usenet posts.
Due to the troubles of Walnut Creek, abysmal sales and so on, FreeBSD went out of business and was taken over by BSDI who sell another troubled OS. Now BSDI is also dead, its corpse turned over to yet another charnel house.
All major surveys show that *BSD has steadily declined in market share. *BSD is very sick and its long term survival prospects are very dim. If *BSD is to survive at all it will be among OS dilettante dabblers. *BSD continues to decay. Nothing short of a miracle could save it at this point in time. For all practical purposes, *BSD is dead.
Fact: *BSD is dying
[ed. note: in the following text, former FreeBSD developer Mike Smith gives his reasons for abandoning FreeBSD]
When I stood for election to the FreeBSD core team nearly two years ago, many of you will recall that it was after a long series of debates during which I maintained that too much organisation, too many rules and too much formality would be a bad thing for the project.
Today, as I read the latest discussions on the future of the FreeBSD project, I see the same problem; a few new faces and many of the old going over the same tired arguments and suggesting variations on the same worthless schemes. Frankly I'm sick of it.
FreeBSD used to be fun. It used to be about doing things the right way. It used to be something that you could sink your teeth into when the mundane chores of programming for a living got you down. It was something cool and exciting; a way to spend your spare time on an endeavour you loved that was at the same time wholesome and worthwhile.
It's not anymore. It's about bylaws and committees and reports and milestones, telling others what to do and doing what you're told. It's about who can rant the longest or shout the loudest or mislead the most people into a bloc in order to legitimise doing what they think is best. Individuals notwithstanding, the project as a whole has lost track of where it's going, and has instead become obsessed with process and mechanics.
So I'm leaving core. I don't want to feel like I should be "doing something" about a project that has lost interest in having something done for it. I don't have the energy to fight what has clearly become a losing battle; I have a life to live and a job to keep, and I won't achieve any of the goals I personally consider worthwhile if I remain obligated to care for the project.
Discussion
I'm sure that I've offended some people already; I'm sure that by the time I'm done here, I'll have offended more. If you feel a need to play to the crowd in your replies rather than make a sincere effort to address the problems I'm discussing here, please do us the courtesy of playing your politics openly.
From a technical perspective, the project faces a set of challenges that significantly outstrips our ability to deliver. Some of the resources that we need to address these challenges are tied up in the fruitless metadiscussions that have raged since we made the mistake of electing officers. Others have left in disgust, or been driven out by the culture of abuse and distraction that has grown up since then. More may well remain available to recruitment, but while the project is busy infighting our chances for successful outreach are sorely diminished.
There's no simple solution to this. For the project to move forward, one or the other of the warring philosophies must win out; either the project returns to its laid-back roots and gets on with the work, or it transforms into a super-organised engineering project and executes a brilliant plan to deliver what, ultimately, we all know we want.
Whatever path is chosen, whatever balance is struck, the choosing and the striking are the important parts. The current indecision and endless conflict are incompatible with any sort of progress.
Trying to dissect the above is far beyond the scope of any parting shot, no matter how distended. All I can really ask of you all is to let go of the minutiae for a moment and take a look at the big picture. What is the ultimate goal here? How can we get there with as little overhead as possible? How would you like to be treated by your fellow travellers?
Shouts
To the Slashdot "BSD is dying" crowd - big deal. Death is part of the cycle; take a look at your soft, pallid bodies and consider that right this very moment, parts of you are dying. See? It's not so bad.
To the bulk of the FreeBSD committerbase and the developer community at large - keep your eyes on the real goals. I
It is now official. Ninnle Labs confirms: NinnleBSD is dying
One more crippling bombshell hit the already beleaguered NinnleBSD community when IDC confirmed that NinnleBSD market share has dropped yet again, now down to less than a fraction of 1 percent of all servers. Coming on the heels of a recent Ninnle Labs survey which plainly states that NinnleBSD has lost more market share, this news serves to reinforce what we've known all along. NinnleBSD is collapsing in complete disarray, as fittingly exemplified by failing dead last [samag.com] in the recent Sys Admin comprehensive networking test.
You don't need to be the Amazing Kreskin [amazingkreskin.com] to predict NinnleBSD's future. The hand writing is on the wall: NinnleBSD faces a bleak future. In fact there won't be any future at all for NinnleBSD because NinnleBSD is dying. Things are looking very bad for NinnleBSD. As many of us are already aware, NinnleBSD continues to lose market share. Red ink flows like a river of blood.
NinnleBSD is the most endangered of them all, having lost 93% of its core developers. The sudden and unpleasant departures of long time NinnleBSD developers P. O. Prune and Joe Bloggins only serve to underscore the point more clearly. There can no longer be any doubt: NinnleBSD is dying.
Let's keep to the facts and look at the numbers.
NinnleBSD leader Prune states that there are 7000 users of NinnleBSD. How many users of NetBSD are there? Let's see. The number of NinnleBSD versus NinnleBSD posts on Usenet is roughly in ratio of 5 to 1. Therefore there are about 7000/5 = 1400 NinnleBSD users. BSD/OS posts on Usenet are about half of the volume of NinnleBSD posts. Therefore there are about 700 users of BSD/OS. A recent article put NinnleBSD at about 80 percent of the NinnleBSD market. Therefore there are (7000+1400+700)*4 = 36400 NinnleBSD users. This is consistent with the number of NinnleBSD Usenet posts.
Due to the troubles of Ninnle Labs, abysmal sales and so on, NinnleBSD went out of business and was taken over by Ninnle Labs who sell another troubled OS. Now Ninnle Labs is also dead, its corpse turned over to yet another charnel house.
All major surveys show that NinnleBSD has steadily declined in market share. NinnleBSD is very sick and its long term survival prospects are very dim. If NinnleBSD is to survive at all it will be among OS dilettante dabblers. NinnleBSD continues to decay. Nothing short of a miracle could save it at this point in time. For all practical purposes, NinnleBSD is dead.
Fact: NinnleBSD is dying
Elegy For *BSD
I am a *BSD user
and I try hard to be brave
That is a tall order
*BSD's foot is in the grave.
I tap at my toy keyboard
and whistle a happy tune
but keeping happy's so hard,
*BSD died so soon.
Each day I wake and softly sob
Nightfall finds me crying
Not only am I a zit faced slob
but *BSD is dying.
NetBSD is not doing so well. As a former NetBSD user I am sorry to sound a pessimistic note, but I think that this poor downtrodden operating system should be humanely euthanized. NetBSD is going to die anyway. Let me explain.
Once I had a cat who had feline leukemia, and we tried to keep him alive, with numerous trips to the vet. But, in the end, the disease just overwhelmed him. He had such a hard time. If I had another cat with the same diagnosis, then I would just have it put away immediately. Not being dismissive, but just realistic.
The NetBSD folks have been very kind to have nursed NetBSD along and looked after it. At least this sorrowful OS is being looked after. It is not out there frantically searching for a "home". No, it's found its final resting place.
If NetBSD does have to be euthanized, this is not a cruel act - it will pass away immediately without suffering.
From wikipedia: "The word proprietary indicates that a party, or proprietor, exercises private ownership, control or use over an item of property."
From the OpenBSD faq: "The official OpenBSD CD-ROM layout is copyright Theo de Raadt. Theo does not permit people to redistribute images of the official OpenBSD CDs."
To the mod who tagged this troll: What part of "I" did you not understand? This is personal opinion, which I'm fully entitled to. I've also quoted the exact text in the official OpenBSD FAQ that I'm referring to.
Learn to moderate with some objectivity please, or have the decency not to pretend you're serving the community.