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FreeBSD

Operating System

FreeBSD is a free, open-source Unix-like operating system descended from the Berkeley Software Distribution, first released in 1993 out of the 386BSD codebase. It became the most widely used BSD-derived operating system, and its permissive licensing let major commercial systems, including Apple's macOS and iOS and Sony's PlayStation consoles, build directly on its code. FreeBSD emphasizes a complete, coherently engineered base system rather than a kernel-plus-distribution model, and it remains widely used for servers, networking appliances and research. This description is adapted from Wikipedia contributors under CC BY-SA 4.0; changes were made. https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/

Facts
Year
1993 2
Significance
The most widely used BSD-derived operating system, descended from Berkeley Unix and foundational to macOS, iOS and the PlayStation system software. 1
Status
Status
Active / In Use 1
Classification
License
BSD 2-Clause 2
FAQs

How does FreeBSD differ from Linux?

FreeBSD ships a complete system under a permissive license; Linux ships a kernel under the GPL.

FreeBSD maintains a complete system, delivering a kernel, device drivers, userland utilities and documentation, whereas Linux delivers only a kernel and drivers and relies on third parties such as GNU for system software. FreeBSD source code is also generally released under a permissive BSD license, while Linux uses the copyleft GPL.
Connections

In Field

Operating Systems, Fields

Licensed Under

BSD 2-Clause License, Concepts
Sources
1. Wikipedia: FreeBSD
Wikimedia Foundation
  • Lead section
    FreeBSD is a free and open-source Unix-like operating system descended from the Berkeley Software Distribution (BSD). The first version was released in 1993 developed from 386BSD, one of the first fully functional and free Unix clones on affordable home-class hardware, and has since continuously been the most commonly used BSD-derived operating system.
  • Lead sentence
    FreeBSD is a free and open-source Unix-like operating system descended from the Berkeley Software Distribution (BSD).
View the Source
2. Wikidata: FreeBSD
  • Wikidata Q34236, class allow-list match (w-wdresolver-0926)
  • Wikidata Q34236 P571 (inception)
  • Wikidata Q34236 P275 (license)
View the Source
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