Debian With a FreeBSD Kernel?

One of the major obstacles preventing broader adoption of FreeBSD, a flavor of UNIX, is the lack of software readily available for systems running the Linux Kernel. Sun Microsystems has created a program called LxRun that will allow Linux applications to run unmodified on Sun’s Solaris OS, but now some developers of the Linux distribution Debian hope to take things a step further and allow the Debian OS to work with the FreeBSD Kernel. The developers are using the FreeBSD Kernel with libc, and recompiling Debian packages to work on it. This means a user will be able to run Linux applications on the more stable, more secure, FreeBSD Kernel.

According to the documentation, "The Debian GNU/FreeBSD is a new operating system with recompiled…packages and [a number of] new [packages]. For administrators, this distribution should be very similar to Debian GNU/Linux, but [with a] changed kernel and libc package."

Some in the Debian community believe this project will give a boost to software that is dying because of its license, often dubbed "inferior", when compared to the GPL license preferred by the Linux community. Others disagree, finding no problems with the BSD license.

FreeBSD is a free, open source version of BSD UNIX, but because of differences in its Kernel, the base of the operating system, it is unable to run a number of Linux programs without drastic modification. FreeBSD features a tighter, more stable Kernel used by many Web sites and developers, including eFront.com

Debian Developer, Piotr Roszatycki adds on his Web page:

I believe that this project could be good for GPL community as far as for BSD community and could stimulate a developing progress of free software at all. I believe the concurrency is required to making a real good job.

Others in the BSD community feel the combination of the two operating systems could ruin what the FreeBSD movement has worked so hard to maintain - a straight forward, non-fragmented OS.

However, most agree this project will ease the animosity between the open-source Linux and FreeBSD communities by combining the best parts of both operating systems. While this project is only in its early stages and may not catch on, the chance to combine the talents of FreeBSD and Linux programmers will be invaluable.

What do you think? Will Debian GNU/Linux be good for the open source community or will this project undermine what FreeBSD has always stood for? Respond to this article with your thoughts.