Why FreeBSD Is Liking LLDB For Debugging

[phoronix]

Phoronix: Why FreeBSD Is Liking LLDB For Debugging

Yesterday I had written how the Leadwerks Linux developer has some issues with GDB for debugging -- as do other game developers. Besides game developers, BSD developers also have issues with GDB and seek for better alternatives beyond just a more liberal code license...

http://www.phoronix.com/vr.php?view=MTUwODk

[Cthulhux]

... and while the Linsux kids keep stumblin' upon broken workflows, FreeBSD kicks ass.

[dee.]

... and while the Linsux kids keep stumblin' upon broken workflows, FreeBSD kicks ass.

That's why it has such a huge userbase compared to the tiny Linux.

[Cthulhux]

... and because the userbase is relevant for a software's quality, Windows is the highest-quality OS in the world, right?

[Guest]

... and while the Linsux kids keep stumblin' upon broken workflows, FreeBSD kicks ass.

Yeah, it must kicked you very hard, because BeSuchaDick has zero market share. Linux ate it for breakfast.

[Cthulhux]

Market share means quality?

So, how much does Windows have?

[dee.]

... and because the userbase is relevant for a software's quality, Windows is the highest-quality OS in the world, right?

No, Windows doesn't count because it only succeeds by abuse of market position. It's the bug #1 of capitalism: once you have a leading market position, you can use the power and accumulated capital to maintain that market position and keep competition at bay, creating a feedback loop where the most powerful become more powerful. This is why we have anti-competition laws, which are good whenever they happen to enforce them...

There's no similar market situation between FreeBSD and Linux, as both are open source software and neither has very much direct influence on markets or OEM's. Yet Linux attracts orders of magnitude more developers and users, gets more adoption, has more succesful companies basing their business on it, runs on much more varied hardware, gets support for more hardware...

Oh, but wait, there's MacOS and Playstation. Two corporations who can take the BSD code and never contribute anything back, because the BSD licensing model is so "superior"... The difference in the licensing is noticeable when you look at the behaviour of corporations. On the Linux side, there's a multitude of corporations, all contributing on the kernel in collaboration, and we all benefit from their code, it all gets released open source. In contrast, on the BSD side it's always "we take this code, do whatever modifications we want in-house and if you're lucky, you'll get some scraps and stuff we're too lazy to maintain ourselves".

The difference in success and amount of developers and corporate backing is obvious here: the GPL license allows collaboration, with the safeguard that no one entity can take your contribution and run away with it - everything is shared with everyone or not at all, so everyone can safely contribute without fearing a competitor takes the code and uses it to gain an advantage with a closed derivative. On the BSD model, it's exactly opposite - everyone closes down their code to get that "advantage" against others.

So, it's no wonder you have to take your small satisfaction in whatever small perceived "victories" you can, seeing as how the BSD's are forever doomed to remain niche operating systems, and as free labour sources for corporations like Apple and Sony, who riddle their products with DRM and weaponize patents left and right. I'm not saying that companies using Linux are perfect either (*cough*Canonical*cough*Google) but at least we all mostly benefit from their work. Corporations using BSD mainly just cause harm and trouble to all of us.

[Guest]

... and because the userbase is relevant for a software's quality, Windows is the highest-quality OS in the world, right?

It's relevant, but there are different rules on desktops like available software. Linux and bsd share same software and bsd has no users according to netmarketshare.

[Cthulhux]

Linux and bsd share same software

Seriously? Like which? Please bring me MD5 sums.

seeing as how the BSD's are forever doomed to remain niche operating systems

Why should I care about the market share if it serves me well?

Corporations using BSD mainly just cause harm and trouble to all of us.

Yup, Apple mainly causes harm and trouble. I'm with you on this, still I fail to see your point.

[Cthulhux]

Oh, one more:

On the BSD model, it's exactly opposite - everyone closes down their code to get that "advantage" against others.

You miss the point that a BSD'ed software remains free regardless of all proprietary forks.

http://noordering.wordpress.com/2009/01/20/why-the-gpl-is-not-free/