=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=- The DaemonLinux Project by Saint skullY the Dazed (skully@sysfail.org) =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=- What's this, you ask? Another Linux project that's probably pointless to anything the average person wants to do? Nope. Unlike the majority of Linux projects, this is one that people should pay attention to, and support. Not because it does something that will immediately be recognizable to most people, but because it gives people a new choice. History ------- In the mid 80's, if you wanted to run a Unix-type operating system, you had to get it from a company such as AT&T. There were no free operating systems at the time. That's why Richard Stallman formed the FSF: to have an operating system that was truly free. Free not only in the sense that you don't have to pay for it, but also free in the sense that along with the program you get the source code. This would allow people to truly own their software, and be able to make changes to it. The FSF's goal was to write a complete operating system based on Unix. This is what's commonly known as GNU (GNU's not Unix). So they set about to write all the standard Unix utilities, (ls, cp, libc, etc.) with the intent of creating a whole operating system. About 5 years after they started this project, they were nearing completion of all the commands, but still had not started on a kernel for this operating system. This was about the time that Linus started on Linux. He originally wrote it just for himself, but someone convinced him to GPL it and contribute it to the FSF. Hence Linux as we know it was born. Flash forward to 1999. Linux is growing exponentially and achieving world- wide popularity. Unfortunately for the FSF, everyone attributes this to Linus, who in actuality contributed less then 10% of the total code in the base OS (don't get me wrong, Linus is a very good guy, and without his kernel Linux as we know it would not exist). The FSF, who contributed the majority of the code needed to boot a minimal system was getting less then they felt they deserved. So they started encouraging (some would say demanded) people to call it GNU/Linux, to give the FSF credit where credit is due. However, at this point in the game, trying to change how millions of people say Linux is tantamount to having people call Disneyland "Eiserville." It's nearly impossible. That's where the DaemonLinux project comes in. Overview -------- The DaemonLinux project was started to replace the GNU utils normally used in Linux with their BSD counterparts. This is to give people an alternative to GNU, and to say, "Hey look, there's a Linux distro that doesn't use GNU code, so therefore Linux is not `GNU/Linux.'" At least, that's what the founders of the project started it for. Personally, I like the idea of the project because I've always preferred BSD utils to GNU utils, but the Linux kernel progresses so much faster then any of the BSD kernels do. Other people working on the project have their own reasons for doing it. But whatever someone's reason for working on the project, it's a good project and one everyone should take note of. What Needs to be Done, and How to Help -------------------------------------- The DaemonLinux project is still in its infancy stage. Work has just begun. Rob Braun (bbraun@sparcy.synack.net) has gotten a bare install finished, and says he will be uploading it somewhere in the next couple days. There's a web page at http://synack.net/daemonlinux/ and a mailing list for discussion of the project. Information for the mailing list is on the web page. You can help with this project in any way you know how. If you know how to code/debug, you can grab the OpenBSD 2.4 source tree and help port what hasn't been ported yet. If you don't know how to code, but still want to help, people are needed for documentation, testing, and other miscellaneous things.