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This seems like a strange use of money, surely? Nothing against FreeBSD, but Linux is where most of the focus already is. People using FreeBSD are doing so due

This seems like a strange use of money, surely? Nothing against FreeBSD, but Linux is where most of the focus already is. People using FreeBSD are doing so due to preference or legitimate need due to their software somehow specifically being BSD dependents. Not that this isn't 'nice', but is that the goal here? I would have thought it would make more sense to put this money toward something underfunded but still useful for the government.

strken 2y ago
How do we know it's not useful to the German government? Without context, I would have assumed that "infrastructure, security, regulatory compliance, and developer experience" meant they were trying to secure FreeBSD's builds because they were using them and identified them as a weak point.
- ruthmarx 2y ago
  Then they are wasting taxpayer dollars and should switch to Linux.
  - timeon 2y ago
    686000 euros are not taxpayer dollars.
cpach 2y ago
You have a point, and I agree that these days, for most people, Linux is where the action is. But it might not be desirable to end up in a future where Linux is the only game in town. Therefore it could be wise to support other FOSS operating systems, to keep some kind of competition.
- ruthmarx 2y ago
  Is this not an argument against vendor lock in? I'd argue that doesn't really apply to a FOSS project like Linux, and that BSD isn't sufficiently different to help diversity. If that was the goal, there are a ton of smaller OS projects that I think would make sense to fund. Like ReactOS.
bluGill 2y ago
You should be running a mix of FreeBSD anyway. Do not get yourself locked into one vendor solutions even if the vendor is open source.
heraldgeezer 2y ago
huh? https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_products_based_on_FreeBSD https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_products_based_on_Free... https://freebsdfoundation.org/end-user-stories/ https://freebsdfoundation.org/end-user-stories/ ex Junipers junOS, Sonys OS for PS3,4,5 is based on FreeBSD. Netflix and Netapp use it for their main stuff. Lots of "under the hood" stuff is FreeBSD. Even I know this, and I'm a filthy Windows user.
- ornornor 2y ago
  I’d wager BSDs move more packets every day than any other major OS. Network infrastructure is often running BSD, so does Netflix on its cache servers, network appliances…
- ruthmarx 2y ago
  You're 'huh' is misplaced. Some stuff having some BSD code in it is entirely beside the point.
binkHN 2y ago
The BSD license is more permissive than the GPL/Linux license, so one could argue source code investments made here can more readily be integrated into all systems, even closed source.
packetlost 2y ago
I don't see how diversity of platforms/OS could be anything but a good thing. FreeBSD has been making a lot of QoL changes over the last several years and is laid out much more like a cohesive system than any Linux distribution I've used. Not to mention it is still used elsewhere. Putting all your eggs in one basket is usually a good way to end up hungry.
- ruthmarx 2y ago
  > I don't see how diversity of platforms/OS could be anything but a good thing. I didn't say it wasn't a good thing, I said I don't think it giving €686k to FreeBSD is the best use of that money, even if diversity of systems is a goal. In that case, give it to ReactOS or something.
  - soupbowl 2y ago
    This seems like a strange use of money, surely? Nothing against ReactOS, but Linux is where most of the focus already is. People using ReactOS are doing so due to preference or legitimate need due to their software somehow specifically being ReactOS dependents. Not that this isn't 'nice', but is that the goal here? I would have thought it would make more sense to put this money toward something underfunded but still useful for the government.
    - ruthmarx 2y ago
      [flagged]
    - ruthmarx 2y ago
      I'll rephrase since my last comment was flagged. FreeBSD in this context is basically Linux-lite. It's not really adding diversity. Something like ReactOS is. That's why trying to take my words and use them against them here doesn't work. At all.
jmclnx 2y ago
>This seems like a strange use of money I do not :) Linux and even more so, us, needs FreeBSD and the other BSDs. IMHO Linux, at the moment, seems to be heading to Corporate Domination and is slowly becoming a Windows type Clone. Plus with Wayland being Linux only and its largest funder is Red Hat, it seems to be trying to eliminate BSD. The *BSDs right now is a option for people who want an OS to work the way they would like it to, not a way a Company like Red Hat/IBM wants it to be. So great for FreeBSD, and the way the BSDs operate, developments will cross-pollinate the other BSDs.
- tomxor 2y ago
  > Wayland being Linux only and its largest funder is Red Hat, it seems to be trying to eliminate BSD. https://docs.freebsd.org/en/books/handbook/wayland/ https://docs.freebsd.org/en/books/handbook/wayland/
- ruthmarx 2y ago
  > The *BSDs right now is a option for people who want an OS to work the way they would like it to, not a way a Company like Red Hat/IBM wants it to be. I mean, Linux is just the kernel. Any number of distros are further than the BSD's for how Red Hat and IBM would want it to be.
assimpleaspossi 2y ago
Of note: Hacker News, this very web site, runs FreeBSD as their server.

strken 2y ago

How do we know it's not useful to the German government? Without context, I would have assumed that "infrastructure, security, regulatory compliance, and developer experience" meant they were trying to secure FreeBSD's builds because they were using them and identified them as a weak point.

ruthmarx 2y ago
Then they are wasting taxpayer dollars and should switch to Linux.
- timeon 2y ago
  686000 euros are not taxpayer dollars.

cpach 2y ago

You have a point, and I agree that these days, for most people, Linux is where the action is. But it might not be desirable to end up in a future where Linux is the only game in town. Therefore it could be wise to support other FOSS operating systems, to keep some kind of competition.

ruthmarx 2y ago
Is this not an argument against vendor lock in? I'd argue that doesn't really apply to a FOSS project like Linux, and that BSD isn't sufficiently different to help diversity. If that was the goal, there are a ton of smaller OS projects that I think would make sense to fund. Like ReactOS.

bluGill 2y ago

You should be running a mix of FreeBSD anyway. Do not get yourself locked into one vendor solutions even if the vendor is open source.

heraldgeezer 2y ago

huh? https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_products_based_on_FreeBSD https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_products_based_on_Free... https://freebsdfoundation.org/end-user-stories/ https://freebsdfoundation.org/end-user-stories/ ex Junipers junOS, Sonys OS for PS3,4,5 is based on FreeBSD. Netflix and Netapp use it for their main stuff. Lots of "under the hood" stuff is FreeBSD. Even I know this, and I'm a filthy Windows user.

ornornor 2y ago
I’d wager BSDs move more packets every day than any other major OS. Network infrastructure is often running BSD, so does Netflix on its cache servers, network appliances…
ruthmarx 2y ago
You're 'huh' is misplaced. Some stuff having some BSD code in it is entirely beside the point.

binkHN 2y ago

The BSD license is more permissive than the GPL/Linux license, so one could argue source code investments made here can more readily be integrated into all systems, even closed source.

packetlost 2y ago

I don't see how diversity of platforms/OS could be anything but a good thing. FreeBSD has been making a lot of QoL changes over the last several years and is laid out much more like a cohesive system than any Linux distribution I've used. Not to mention it is still used elsewhere. Putting all your eggs in one basket is usually a good way to end up hungry.

ruthmarx 2y ago
> I don't see how diversity of platforms/OS could be anything but a good thing. I didn't say it wasn't a good thing, I said I don't think it giving €686k to FreeBSD is the best use of that money, even if diversity of systems is a goal. In that case, give it to ReactOS or something.
- soupbowl 2y ago
  This seems like a strange use of money, surely? Nothing against ReactOS, but Linux is where most of the focus already is. People using ReactOS are doing so due to preference or legitimate need due to their software somehow specifically being ReactOS dependents. Not that this isn't 'nice', but is that the goal here? I would have thought it would make more sense to put this money toward something underfunded but still useful for the government.
  - ruthmarx 2y ago
    [flagged]
  - ruthmarx 2y ago
    I'll rephrase since my last comment was flagged. FreeBSD in this context is basically Linux-lite. It's not really adding diversity. Something like ReactOS is. That's why trying to take my words and use them against them here doesn't work. At all.

jmclnx 2y ago

>This seems like a strange use of money I do not :) Linux and even more so, us, needs FreeBSD and the other BSDs. IMHO Linux, at the moment, seems to be heading to Corporate Domination and is slowly becoming a Windows type Clone. Plus with Wayland being Linux only and its largest funder is Red Hat, it seems to be trying to eliminate BSD. The *BSDs right now is a option for people who want an OS to work the way they would like it to, not a way a Company like Red Hat/IBM wants it to be. So great for FreeBSD, and the way the BSDs operate, developments will cross-pollinate the other BSDs.

tomxor 2y ago
> Wayland being Linux only and its largest funder is Red Hat, it seems to be trying to eliminate BSD. https://docs.freebsd.org/en/books/handbook/wayland/ https://docs.freebsd.org/en/books/handbook/wayland/
ruthmarx 2y ago
> The *BSDs right now is a option for people who want an OS to work the way they would like it to, not a way a Company like Red Hat/IBM wants it to be. I mean, Linux is just the kernel. Any number of distros are further than the BSD's for how Red Hat and IBM would want it to be.

assimpleaspossi 2y ago

Of note: Hacker News, this very web site, runs FreeBSD as their server.