# Does FreeBSD use the linux Kernel?



## Willrandship (Oct 19, 2009)

I was wondering if the FreeBSD Operating system uses the linux kernel as its core. The reason I ask is because the linux kernel will occasionally give me issues with my hard drive detection, and I can only use it with the more outdated kernel for each release.


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## DutchDaemon (Oct 19, 2009)

Are you serious?
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/FreeBSD
http://www.over-yonder.net/~fullermd/rants/bsd4linux/bsd4linux1.php


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## graedus (Oct 19, 2009)

DutchDaemon said:
			
		

> Are you serious?


My guess is he is.

@Willrandship. The FreeBSD kernel is a beast of its own, with its own issues, far different from the ones you get with the linux one. Read the second link you've been replied. Seriously.


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## sossego (Oct 19, 2009)

You need to find a distro with support for your hard drive.
What the others referred to is good for you to read.
You may find a little Linux help here; but, here are a few places for you to go to:
http://forums.debian.net
http://daemonforums.org 
http://www.linuxquestions.org
You can also check the forums of the distribution you are using plus the mailing lists.
There are a lot of similarities between the Linux distros and the BSD flavors. 
And there are also a lot of differences.
I think you probably need to run hdparm and build a kernel to include the driver.


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## vivek (Oct 19, 2009)

No Linux is not FreeBSD.
Linux is kernel.
FreeBSD is kernel + operating systems.
They are not releated to each other, but share many common goals and may use commons software such as MySQL, Apache, PHP, Perl, Python, KDE, Gnome and so on.


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## vermaden (Oct 19, 2009)

> 3. FreeBSD is kernel + operating systems.


FreeBSD is kernel + USERLAND, FreeBSD itself is _operating system_ ...


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## vivek (Oct 19, 2009)

vermaden said:
			
		

> FreeBSD is kernel + USERLAND, FreeBSD itself is _operating system_ ...



Yes, it is .. I wanted to same thing but put it in wrong words..LOL:

FreeBSD = Complete Operating System (everything comes from a single source kernel + userland utilities + installer + patches + ports for apps etc)
Linux = Linux Kernel + GNU utilities + distro specific management scripts + Distro specific installer


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## fronclynne (Oct 19, 2009)

FreeBSD & Linux generally cannot share kernel code, as FreeBSD is released under the BSD license, and Linux is under some form of the GPL, and ne'er shall meet the twain.


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## ctaranotte (Oct 19, 2009)

vivek said:
			
		

> Yes, it is .. I wanted to same thing but put it in wrong words..LOL:
> 
> FreeBSD = Complete Operating System (everything comes from a single source kernel + userland utilities + installer + patches + ports for apps etc)



Plus docs and howtos :e


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## Zare (Oct 19, 2009)

+ games?


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## DutchDaemon (Oct 19, 2009)

The original question has been answered (and maybe the OP ran away, who knows). So let's leave it here


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## Willrandship (Oct 22, 2009)

Wow, 2 days and they think you forgot all about it...
I was wondering because strange glitches in the linux kernel force me to carefully sidestep the more updated kernels in favor of less updated ones. I was simply wondering if freebsd would give me the same issues. Apparently it would actually be worth the attempt. Thank you for responding.


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## Willrandship (Oct 22, 2009)

Oh, and by the way, it is a kernel issue, so NO linux will work. I have attempted with many distros, such as fedora, debian, gentoo, dsl, puppy linux and slitaz. Linux Fails on my HD/MB combo without special care.


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## Willrandship (Oct 22, 2009)

Also, what do licenses have to do with anything? in pretty much any open source OS, it basically says "you may share it and change it, just tel people I wrote the original." I fail to see how that could be relevant to kernel issues. 

P.S. Flame war not intended....


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## Zare (Oct 22, 2009)

BSD licenced kernel means you can use it for your closed-source proprietary product. GPL'ed code in kernel would dictate that it always remains opensource.

Thus if you want to build your commercial closedsource stuff on BSD, you'd need to ditch out all GPL stuff from the kernel. There's no permission for static linking, although pushing the borders and using a opensourced GPL kernel module for a closed source proprietary kernel is definitely possible.

In any case, GPL inside BSD kernel is too much of a hassle.


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## Willrandship (Oct 25, 2009)

good, so the code has little to do with each other at the base level. That means it is likely to work with my HD!! Yay.


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## Beastie (Oct 25, 2009)

It has *nothing* to do with it since it's a different operating system. But it doesn't mean your HDD will work/better/worse. Just try it and see for yourself.


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## Zare (Oct 25, 2009)

Opensource BSDs and Linux are totally different operating systems from the philosophy and kernel viewpoint. Userland (shell, programs) are quite similar because freeBSD is Unix-based and Linux is Unix-like.

Your HDD problems are surely controller-based. Find out what HDD controller you're using, and run a search over the freeBSD HCL located at http://www.freebsd.org/releases/7.2R/hardware.html .


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## Willrandship (Oct 31, 2009)

Just a couple of things to note:
1: It works with windows and Opensolaris, but windows is evil and OpenSolaris is Impossibly slow. I think this is a suitable reply for both questions. In any case, I am going to be trying out netbsd today.


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## absolutezero1287 (Nov 16, 2009)

Willrandship said:
			
		

> I was wondering if the FreeBSD Operating system uses the linux kernel as its core. The reason I ask is because the linux kernel will occasionally give me issues with my hard drive detection, and I can only use it with the more outdated kernel for each release.


:\

I lol'd.


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## Willrandship (Nov 18, 2009)

Yeah, I'm just glad it worked.

In short, I downloaded PC-BSD, ran the cd, installed it, and it works. 
...
YAY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
No sound though, even after long time of messing with boot configs....


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## graudeejs (Nov 18, 2009)

kldload sound


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## dennylin93 (Nov 18, 2009)

See Setting Up the Sound Card. There are also two scripts on this forum that automatically dectects the sound card. I've forgotten where they are, but a quick search should turn up some promising results.


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## DutchDaemon (Nov 18, 2009)

That script would be http://forums.freebsd.org/showthread.php?t=290


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## Willrandship (Nov 21, 2009)

*Hmm...*

Well, I'll never et a chance to try that, as I just obtained a better computer, and the chain of technology follows its course. My sister now owns that computer, and I have her old one (which I made in the first place) once again. Onward with Opens Source

P.S. Opensolaris is slow and just plain commercial.


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## lme@ (Nov 21, 2009)

PCBSD already loads all sound drivers. I guess that you have a snd_hda chip with multiple devices and kde picked the wrong one. You can change that in kde's system config.
But as you have a new PC, all should be fine now. 
Have fun in our BSD world!


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## wonslung (Dec 18, 2009)

Willrandship said:
			
		

> Well, I'll never et a chance to try that, as I just obtained a better computer, and the chain of technology follows its course. My sister now owns that computer, and I have her old one (which I made in the first place) once again. Onward with Opens Source
> 
> P.S. Opensolaris is slow and just plain commercial.




I wouldn't say OpenSolaris is slow OR commercial.

IT does, however, support less hardware than some other OS's out there.  I used it for a desktop/laptop os for awhile and really enjoyed it.   I eventually switched back to FreeBSD due to software support.  Once you get used to using Ports it's really hard to deal with package management systems on other os's

Opensolairs has AT LEAST 3 different package systems, and everything is very compartmentalized on that OS.  All in all, I learned a lot from it.

For a desktop though, it ran just as fast as FreeBSD on my laptop (though it took about 20 seconds longer to boot for some reason)


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## Willrandship (Dec 20, 2009)

Ok, let me clarify.
1. By saying slow, I meant that it was slow for me, not as a whole. Sorry if I was misunderstood. Also, the commercial thing was this. OpenSolaris is commercial due to the fact that it was based on a commercial os, and run by that os's company. In my mind, that makes it commercial.


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## wonslung (Dec 20, 2009)

Willrandship said:
			
		

> Ok, let me clarify.
> 1. By saying slow, I meant that it was slow for me, not as a whole. Sorry if I was misunderstood. Also, the commercial thing was this. OpenSolaris is commercial due to the fact that it was based on a commercial os, and run by that os's company. In my mind, that makes it commercial.




While the company is in business to make money, most of thier software is opensource.  

FreeBSD is "based on a commerical os"  yet you don't consider it to be "commercial"

Sun could have kept the entire source code closed for Solaris if they wanted but they didn't.


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## Beastie (Dec 20, 2009)

wonslung said:
			
		

> Sun could have kept the entire source code closed for Solaris if they wanted but they didn't.


...and it was a good move for them and they benefited a lot: "future versions of Solaris will be based on technology from the OpenSolaris project" (source).


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## wonslung (Dec 20, 2009)

Beastie said:
			
		

> ...and it was a good move for them and they benefited a lot: "future versions of Solaris will be based on technology from the OpenSolaris project" (source).



I quite agree.  Sun has pretty much opened all their projects.  Opensolaris is a pretty interesting os too.  My main issue with it was that software was very "fragmented" 
There doesn't seem to be a single "best" way to "get" a particular program.   Theres a lot of different package management tools and they are all different, with a lot of different repos, sometimes having the same software.  As a new comer to the os, I found it very confusing.  Their community is small but VERY knowledgeable, but also a little zealous.  I still enjoyed the experience of learning the OS.  I used it for about 2-3 months when trying to decide between FreeBSD and OpenSolaris for my nas, but ultimately went with FreeBSD.  Mainly due to ports and jails.  I never did learn OpenSolaris zones (i had already been using jails by that time)


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## Willrandship (Dec 22, 2009)

Everybody calm down. I didn't mean to bash Sun in any way, nor OpenSolaris. I was just stating that I didn't like it much.


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## Willrandship (Dec 22, 2009)

"It" being the OS, not the company.


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