comparison of BSD operating systems

FreeBSD aims to make an operating system usable for any purpose.{{cite web | year = 1995–2006 | url = http://www.freebsd.org/doc/en_US.ISO8859-1/books/faq/introduction.html#FREEBSD-GOALS | title = Chapter 1 Introduction: 1.2. – What is the goal of the FreeBSD Project? | work = Frequently Asked Questions for FreeBSD 4.X, 5.X, and 6.X | publisher = The FreeBSD Documentation Project | access-date = 2006-04-22}} It is intended to run a wide variety of applications, be easy to use, contain cutting edge features, and be highly scalable, including for network servers with very high loads.{{cite web | url = http://www.freebsd.org/about.html | title = About FreeBSD | access-date = 2006-10-14 | date = 2006-10-12 | publisher = The FreeBSD Project

}} FreeBSD is free software, and the project prefers the FreeBSD license. However, they sometimes accept non-disclosure agreements (NDAs) and include a limited number of nonfree hardware abstraction layer (HAL) modules for specific device drivers in their source tree, to support the hardware of companies who do not provide purely libre drivers (such as HALs to program software-defined radios so that vendors do not share their nonfree algorithms).

To maintain a high level of quality and provide good support for "production quality commercial off-the-shelf (COTS) workstation, server, and high-end embedded systems", FreeBSD focuses on a narrow set of architectures.{{cite web | url = http://www.freebsd.org/doc/en_US.ISO8859-1/articles/committers-guide/archs.html#AEN1248 | title = Support for Multiple Architectures: Statement of General Intent | access-date = 2006-10-14 | work = Committer's Guide | publisher = The FreeBSD Documentation Project

| quote=The FreeBSD Project targets "production quality commercial off-the-shelf (COTS) workstation, server, and high-end embedded systems".}} A significant focus of development since 2000{{cite web |url=http://www.informatica.co.cr/unix-scalability/research/2000/0619.html |title=Destabilization due to SMP development |access-date=27 May 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150203021917/http://www.informatica.co.cr/unix-scalability/research/2000/0619.html |archive-date=3 February 2015 |url-status=dead }} has been fine-grained locking and symmetric multiprocessing (SMP) scalability. From 2007 on, most of the kernel was fine-locked and scaling improvements started to be seen.{{cite web |url=http://people.freebsd.org/~jhb/papers/smp/slides.pdf |title=How SMPng Works and Why It Doesn't Work The Way You Think |first=John |last=Baldwin |date=February 6, 2013}} Other recent work includes Common Criteria security functionality, such as mandatory access control and security event audit support.

Derivatives:

:*TrueNAS/FreeNAS – a network-attached storage (NAS) operating system based on FreeBSD.

:*FuryBSD – a FreeBSD-based operating system, founded after Project Trident decided to build on Void Linux instead of TrueOS. Discontinued in October 2020.{{cite web|title=FuryBSD.org capture from 1st Nov 2020|url=https://www.furybsd.org/|publisher=FuryBSD|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201101021902/https://www.furybsd.org/|access-date=1 November 2020|archive-date=2020-11-01}}

:*GhostBSD – a FreeBSD-based operating system with OpenRC and OS packages.

:*MidnightBSD – a FreeBSD-based OS with XFCE based Desktop Environment

:*Junos OS – a FreeBSD-based nonfree operating system distributed with Juniper Networks hardware.

:*NomadBSD – a persistent live system for USB flash drives, based on FreeBSD.

:*ClonOS – virtual hosting platform/appliance based on FreeBSD.

:*pfSense – an open source firewall/router computer software distribution based on FreeBSD.

:*OPNsense – an open source firewall/router computer software distribution based on FreeBSD.

:*BSDRP – BSD Router Project: Open Source Router Distribution based on FreeBSD.

:*HardenedBSD – HardenedBSD is a security-enhanced fork of FreeBSD.

:*StarBSD – is a Unix-like, server-oriented operating system based on FreeBSD for Mission-Critical Enterprise Environment.

:*TrueOS (previously PC-BSD) – a FreeBSD based server operating system, previously a desktop operating system. The project was officially discontinued in May 2020.{{cite web|title=TrueOS Discontinuation|url=https://www.truenas.com/TrueOS-Discontinuation/|publisher=TrueOS|access-date=5 May 2020}}

:*XigmaNAS – a network-attached storage (NAS) server software with a dedicated management web interface.

:*helloSystem – a GUI-focused system with a macOS interface.{{cite web |url=https://hellosystem.github.io/docs/ |website=helloSystem |access-date=16 October 2021|title=Hello — helloSystem documentation }}

:*CheriBSD – adapted to support CHERI-MIPS, CHERI-RISC-V, and Arm Morello ISAs.{{cite web|title=CheriBSD|url=https://www.cl.cam.ac.uk/research/security/ctsrd/cheri/cheribsd.html/|publisher=University of Cambridge|access-date=19 April 2022}}

NetBSD aims to provide a freely redistributable operating system that professionals, hobbyists, and researchers can use in any manner they wish. The main focus is portability, through the use of clear distinctions between machine-dependent and machine-independent code. It runs on a wide variety of 32-bit and 64-bit CPU architectures and hardware platforms, and is intended to interoperate well with other operating systems.

NetBSD places emphasis on correct design, well-written code, stability, and efficiency, where practical, close compliance with open API and protocol standards is also aimed for. A powerful TCP/IP stack, combined with a small footprint,{{cite web |url=https://machaddr.substack.com/p/netbsd-the-portable-lightweight-and |title=NetBSD: The Portable, Lightweight, and Robust Unix-Like OS | author=André Machado | date=4 November 2024}} make NetBSD well suited to be embedded in networking applications,{{cite web |url=https://yazzy.org/docs/NetBSD/Embedding_NetBSD.pdf |title=Embedding the NetBSD Operating System |author=Wasabi Systems Inc |access-date=8 February 2025}} as well as to revive vintage hardware.{{cite web |url=https://www.theregister.com/2022/08/10/netbsd_93/ |title=NetBSD 9.3: A 2022 OS that can run on late-1980s hardware | author=The Register |date=10 August 2022 |access-date=8 February 2025}}

In June 2008, the NetBSD Foundation moved to a 2-clause BSD license, citing changes at UCB and industry applicability.{{cite web | date = 2006-01-08 | url = http://www.netbsd.org/Misc/about.html | title = About the NetBSD Project – What is the NetBSD project? | publisher = The NetBSD Foundation, Inc. | access-date = 2006-04-22}}

Projects spawned by NetBSD include NPF, Rump kernels , busdma, pkgsrc and NVMM. {{cite web |url=https://blog.netbsd.org/tnf/entry/from_zero_to_nvmm |title=From Zero to NVMM| date=2019-04-09 |access-date=2025-01-06}}

Derivatives:

• Force10 Networks FTOS– Powerful and robust operating system that runs on Force10 TeraScale E-Series switches and routers.{{cite web|url=https://www.netsolutionworks.com/Force10/OS/Force10-FTOS.asp |title=Dell Force10 Operating System |publisher=NetSolutionsWorks |access-date=8 February 2025}}
• SEIL/SMFv2– The system management framework{{cite web|url=https://dev.smf.jp/|title=SMF developer site}} used by IIJ's SEIL/X CPE routers, built on NetBSD.{{cite web |url=https://www.netbsd.org/gallery/presentations/msaitoh/2014_AsiaBSDCon/ABC2014-P6B-paper.pdf |title=Developing CPE Routers based on NetBSD: Fifteen Years of SEIL |work=AsiaBSDCon 2014 |author=Masanobu SAITOH, Hiroki SUENAGA |date=March 2014 |access-date=14 February 2025 |archive-date=10 October 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20241010134105/https://www.netbsd.org/gallery/presentations/msaitoh/2014_AsiaBSDCon/ABC2014-P6B-paper.pdf |url-status=live }}
• fdgw – fdgw is a tool kit to build a minimal NetBSD bootable disk, with a primary focus on routers.{{cite web|url=https://www.fml.org/software/fdgw/ |title=fdgw is one floppy NetBSD. |publisher=Ken'ichi Fukamachi - FML.ORG |access-date=8 February 2025}}{{cite web|url=https://github.com/user340/fdgw2 |title=fdgw Github repository |date=6 June 2017 |access-date=8 February 2025}}
• g4u – NetBSD based boot floppy/CD-ROM that allows easy cloning of PC hard drives.{{cite web |url=https://www.feyrer.de/g4u/ |title=g4u - Harddisk Image Cloning for PCs |access-date=2025-01-06}}
• OS108 – system with graphical desktop environment based on NetBSD.{{cite web |url=https://os108.org/ |title=A fast, open and Secure desktop Operating System based on NetBSD |date=2020-11-13 |access-date=2021-08-02}}
• polyBSD/pocketSAN – Multipurpose framework for building embedded SAN and VPN appliances based on NetBSD.{{cite web |url=https://www.tdisecurity.com/labs/polybsd-pocketsan-pocketvpn/ |title=NetBSD on embedded devices - turning USB thumb-drives into VPNs. |access-date=2025-01-06}}
• smolBSD – Tiny BSD system creation tool, primarily aimed at building modern, lightweight, fast micro VMs.{{cite web |url=https://smolbsd.org/ |title=smolBSD: make your own BSD UNIX MicroVM |access-date=2025-01-06}}

OpenBSD is a security-focused BSD known for its developers' insistence on extensive, ongoing code auditing for security and correct functionality, a "secure by default" philosophy, good documentation, and adherence to strictly open source licensing. The system incorporates numerous security features that are absent or optional in other versions of BSD. The OpenBSD policy on openness extends to hardware documentation and drivers, since without these, there can be no trust in the correct operation of the kernel and its security, and vendor software bugs would be hard to resolve.{{cite web

|url = http://www.openbsd.org/papers/opencon06-docs/index.html

|title = Presentation at OpenCON

|last = de Raadt

|first = Theo

|author-link= Theo de Raadt

|website = OpenBSD

|date = 5 December 2006

|access-date = 13 December 2011

}}

OpenBSD emphasizes very high standards in all areas. Security policies include disabling all non-essential services and having sane initial settings; and integrated cryptography (originally made easier due to relaxed Canadian export laws relative to the United States), full public disclosure of all security flaws discovered; thoroughly auditing code for bugs and security issues; various security features, including the W^X page protection technology and heavy use of randomization to mitigate attacks. Coding approaches include an emphasis on searching for similar issues throughout the code base if any code issue is identified. Concerning software freedom, OpenBSD prefers the BSD or ISC license, with the GPL acceptable only for existing software which is impractical to replace, such as the GNU Compiler Collection. NDAs are never considered acceptable. In common with its parent, NetBSD, OpenBSD strives to run on a wide variety of hardware.{{cite web | date = 2005-10-12 | url = http://www.openbsd.org/goals.html | title = OpenBSD Project Goals | publisher = OpenBSD | access-date = 2006-04-22}} Where licenses conflict with OpenBSD's philosophy, the OpenBSD team has re-implemented major pieces of software from scratch, which have often become the standard used within other versions of BSD. Examples include the pf packet filter, new privilege separation techniques used to safeguard tools such as tcpdump and tmux, much of the OpenSSH codebase, and replacing GPL licensed tools such as diff, grep and pkg-config with ISC or BSD licensed equivalents.

OpenBSD prominently notes the success of its security approach on its website home page. {{As of|2024|July}}, only two vulnerabilities have ever been found in its default install (an OpenSSH vulnerability found in 2002, and a remote network vulnerability found in 2007) in a period of almost 22 years. According to OpenBSD expert Michael W. Lucas, OpenBSD "is widely regarded as the most secure operating system available anywhere, under any licensing terms."{{cite book

| url = https://books.google.com/books?id=WAYvDwAAQBAJ

| last = Lucas

| first = Michael W.

| date = 2013

| title = Absolute OpenBSD: Unix for the practical paranoid

| edition = 2nd

| publisher = No Starch Press

| location = San Francisco

| language = en

| isbn = 978-1-59327-476-4

| page = xxix

}}

OpenBSD has spawned numerous child projects such as OpenSSH, OpenNTPD, OpenBGPD, OpenSMTPD, PF, CARP, and LibreSSL. Many of these are designed to replace restricted alternatives.

Derivatives:

• LibertyBSD – Aimed to be a 'deblobbed' version of OpenBSD.{{cite web |url=https://libertybsd.net/ |title=Liberty BSD |work=libertybsd.net |archive-url=https://archive.today/20180830222805/https://libertybsd.net/ |archive-date=August 30, 2018 |url-status=live}} There are a number of reasons as to why blobs can be problematic, according to the project.{{cite web |url=http://kerneltrap.org/node/6497 |first=Jeremy |last=Andrews |title=Interview with Jonathan Gray and Damien Bergamini |access-date=2008-01-06 |date=2006-04-19 |publisher=kerneltrap.org |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071211025952/http://kerneltrap.org/node/6497 |archive-date=2007-12-11 }} LibertyBSD began going through the process to become Free Software Foundation FSDG certified, but ultimately never was accepted.[https://libertybsd.net/faq.html "LibertyBSD - FAQ"]. LibertyBSD. Retrieved 7 September 2021. LibertyBSD is no longer actively developed, and the project page directs people instead to HyperbolaBSD.{{cite web|last=Levesque|first=Jaidyn|title=LibertyBSD|url=https://libertybsd.net|access-date=2021-09-07|website=LibertyBSD}}
• Isotop,{{Cite web |last=pavroo |title=Isotop |url=https://archiveos.org/isotop/ |access-date=2022-05-06 |website=ArchiveOS |date=17 May 2021 |language=en-US}} a French project{{Cite web |title=3hg {{!}} isotop - index |url=https://www.3hg.fr/Isos/isotop/ |access-date=2022-05-06 |website=www.3hg.fr |archive-date=2022-04-01 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220401081201/https://www.3hg.fr/Isos/isotop/ |url-status=dead }} aiming to adapt OpenBSD to desktops and laptops,{{Cite web |title=DistroWatch.com: Put the fun back into computing. Use Linux, BSD. |url=https://distrowatch.com/weekly.php?issue=20191007#mazon |access-date=2022-05-06 |website=distrowatch.com}} using xfce then dwm.
• fuguita{{cite web |url=https://fuguita.org/ |title=Welcome - fuguita |accessdate=2025-03-30}} – a live system based on OpenBSD for i386, amd64, and arm64

DragonFly BSD aims to be inherently easy to understand and develop for multi-processor infrastructures. The main goal of the project, forked from FreeBSD 4.8, is to radically change the kernel architecture, introducing microkernel-like message passing which will enhance scaling and reliability on symmetric multiprocessing (SMP) platforms while also being applicable to NUMA and clustered systems. The long-term goal is to provide a transparent single system image in clustered environments. DragonFly BSD originally supported both the IA-32 and x86-64 platforms, however support for IA-32 was dropped in version 4.0.{{cite web | url = http://www.dragonflybsd.org/docs/FAQ.cgi | title = DragonFly Frequently Asked Questions | publisher = The DragonFly BSD Project | access-date = 2006-07-01 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20060615220241/http://www.dragonflybsd.org/docs/FAQ.cgi |archive-date = 2006-06-15}}{{cite web | url = http://www.dragonflybsd.org/docs/faq/FAQ-English/ | title = DragonFlyBSD: FAQ-English | publisher = The DragonFly BSD Project | access-date = 2014-12-24}} Matthew Dillon, the founder of DragonFly BSD, believes supporting fewer platforms makes it easier for a project to do a proper, ground-up symmetric multiprocessing implementation.{{cite web | last = Biancuzzi | first = Federico | date = 2004-07-08 | url = http://www.onlamp.com/pub/a/bsd/2004/07/08/dragonfly_bsd_interview.html?page=1 | title = Behind DragonFly BSD An Interview with the developers. | page = 3 | publisher = O’Reilly Media, Inc. | access-date = 2006-04-29 | archive-date = 2012-08-06 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20120806135735/http://onlamp.com/pub/a/bsd/2004/07/08/dragonfly_bsd_interview.html?page=1 | url-status = dead }}

File:Bsd distributions usage.svg showing the proportion of users of each BSD variant from a BSD usage survey from September 2005.{{needs update inline|date=November 2023}}]]

In September 2005, the BSD Certification Group, after advertising on a number of mailing lists, surveyed 4,330 BSD users, 3,958 of whom took the survey in English, to assess the relative popularity of the various BSD operating systems. About 77% of respondents used FreeBSD, 33% used OpenBSD, 16% used NetBSD, 2.6% used Dragonfly, and 6.6% used other (potentially non-BSD) systems. Other languages offered were Brazilian and European Portuguese, German, Italian, and Polish. Note that there was no control group or pre-screening of the survey takers. Those who checked "Other" were asked to specify that operating system.[http://www.bsdcertification.org/ BSD Certification site]; PDF of [http://www.bsdcertification.org/downloads/pr-20051031-usage-survey-en-en.pdf usage survey results]. Retrieved on 2012-09-16.

Because survey takers were permitted to select more than one answer, the percentages shown in the graph, which are out of the number survey of participants, add up to greater than 100%. If a survey taker filled in more than one choice for "other", this is still only counted as one vote for other on this chart.

Another attempt to profile worldwide BSD usage is the *BSDstats Project, whose primary goal is to demonstrate to hardware vendors the penetration of BSD and viability of hardware drivers for the operating system. The project collects data monthly from any BSD system administrators willing to participate, and currently records the BSD market share of participating FreeBSD, OpenBSD, NetBSD, DragonflyBSD, Debian GNU/kFreeBSD, TrueOS, and MirBSD systems.{{cite web | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20230930003331/https://bsdstats.org/ | archive-date=30 September 2023| url = http://www.bsdstats.org | title = *BSD Usage Statistics | access-date = 2006-09-30 | publisher = The *BSD Stats Project}}

In 2020, a new independent project was introduced to collect statistics with the goal of significantly increasing the number of observed parameters.{{cite web | url = https://github.com/bsdhw/Trends | title = BSD Hardware Trends | access-date = 2020-06-03 | publisher = BSD Hardware Project}}{{cite web|url=https://bsd-hardware.info/|title=Hardware for BSD| access-date=12 December 2024|publisher = BSD Hardware Project}}

DistroWatch, well known in the Linux community and often used as a rough guide to free operating system popularity, publishes page hits for each of the Linux distributions and other operating systems it covers. As of 27 March 2020, using a data span of the last six months it placed FreeBSD in 21st place with 452 hits per day, GhostBSD in 51st place with 243 hits, TrueOS in 54th place with 182 hits per day, DragonflyBSD in 75th place with 180 hits, OpenBSD in 80th place with 169 hits per day and NetBSD in 109th place with 105 hits per day.{{cite web | year = 2001–2011 | url = http://distrowatch.com/ | title = DistroWatch.com: Put the fun back into computing. | publisher = DistroWatch.com | access-date = 2016-09-04}}

The names FreeBSD and OpenBSD are references to software freedom: both in cost and open source.{{cite web | year = 1995–2006 | url = http://www.freebsd.org/doc/en_US.ISO8859-1/books/faq/introduction.html#WHY-CALLED-FREEBSD | title = Chapter 1 Introduction – Why is it called FreeBSD? | work = Frequently Asked Questions for FreeBSD 4.X, 5.X, and 6.X | publisher = The FreeBSD Documentation Project | access-date = 2006-06-11}}

NetBSD's name is a tribute to the Internet, which brought the original developers together.

{{cite web | year = 1994–2006 | url = http://www.netbsd.org/Misc/about.html#name | title = About the NetBSD Project – Why the name? | publisher = The NetBSD Foundation | access-date = 2006-12-06}}

The first BSD mascot was the BSD daemon, named after a common type of Unix software program, a daemon. FreeBSD still uses the image, a red cartoon daemon named Beastie, wielding a pitchfork, as its mascot today. In 2005, after a competition, a stylized version of Beastie's head designed and drawn by Anton Gural was chosen as the FreeBSD logo.[http://logo-contest.freebsd.org/ FreeBSD Logo Competition] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060413195606/http://logo-contest.freebsd.org/ |date=2006-04-13 }}. The FreeBSD Project. Competition ended 2005-06-30. Retrieved on 2006-04-22. The FreeBSD slogan is "The Power to Serve."

The NetBSD flag, designed in 2004 by Grant Bissett, is inspired by the original NetBSD logo,{{cite web | last = Mueller | first = Shawn | year = 1994 | url = http://www.netbsd.org/images/NetBSD-old.jpg | title = Original NetBSD Logo | publisher = The NetBSD Foundation | access-date = 2006-04-22 | format = JPEG}} Also see [http://www.netbsd.org/gallery/logos.html NetBSD Logos]. designed in 1994 by Shawn Mueller, portraying a number of BSD daemons raising a flag on top of a mound of computer equipment. This was based on a World War II photograph, Raising the Flag on Iwo Jima. The Board of Directors of The NetBSD Foundation believed this was too complicated, too hard to reproduce and had negative cultural ramifications and was thus not a suitable image for NetBSD in the corporate world. The new, simpler flag design replaced this.{{cite web | url = http://mail-index.netbsd.org/netbsd-advocacy/2004/01/14/0001.html | title = NetBSD logo design competition | access-date = 2006-04-22 | last = Mewburn | first = Luke | date = 2004-01-14 | publisher = Netbsd-advocacy mailing list}}
Linked to from:

{{cite web | url = http://www.netbsd.org/Changes/2004.html#logo-contest | title = Changes and NetBSD News in 2004 – NetBSD Logo Design Contest | access-date = 2006-10-14 | date = 2004-01-13 | publisher = The NetBSD Foundation, Inc.}}

Also see:

{{cite web | url = http://www.netbsd.org/Foundation/press/new-logo.html | title = The NetBSD Foundation Press Release: Announcement of New Logo – NetBSD has a new logo! | access-date = 2006-04-22 | date = 2004-10-30 | publisher = The NetBSD Foundation, Inc.}} The NetBSD slogan is "Of course it runs NetBSD", referring to the operating system's portability.

Originally, OpenBSD used the BSD daemon as a mascot, sometimes with an added halo as a distinguishing mark, but OpenBSD later replaced its BSD daemon with Puffy. Although Puffy is usually referred to as a pufferfish, the spikes on the cartoon images give him a closer likeness to the porcupinefish. The logo is a reference to the fish's defensive capabilities and to the Blowfish cryptography algorithm used in OpenSSH. OpenBSD also has a number of slogans including "Secure by default", which was used in the first OpenBSD song, "E-railed", and "Free, Functional & Secure",{{cite web | url = http://www.openbsd.org/images/puffy39.jpg | title = OpenBSD 3.9 – Free, Functional & Secure | format = JPEG | publisher = OpenBSD | access-date = 2006-07-01}} and OpenBSD has released at least one original song with every release since 3.0.{{cite web | date = 2006-04-15 | url = http://www.openbsd.org/lyrics.html | title = OpenBSD release song lyrics | publisher = OpenBSD | access-date = 2006-04-22}}

The DragonFly BSD logo, designed by Joe Angrisano, is a dragonfly named Fred.{{Cite web |url=http://www.dragonflybsd.org/about/images.shtml |title=official DragonFlyBSD artwork |access-date=2007-02-26 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081225035130/http://www.dragonflybsd.org/about/images.shtml |archive-date=2008-12-25 |url-status=dead }} A number of unofficial logos{{cite web |date=2006-03-28 |url=http://wiki.dragonflybsd.org/index.php/DragonFly_Artwork |title=DFWiki – DragonFly Artwork |publisher=The DragonFlyBSD Project |access-date=2006-04-22 |url-status=unfit |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20050410235917/http://wiki.dragonflybsd.org/index.php/DragonFly_Artwork |archive-date=2005-04-10}} by various authors also show the dragonfly or stylized versions of it. DragonFly BSD considers itself to be "the logical continuation of the FreeBSD 4.x series."{{cite web | url = http://www.dragonflybsd.org/about/history.cgi | title = The History of DragonFly | publisher = The DragonFly BSD Project | access-date = 2006-04-22 |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20060414233820/http://www.dragonflybsd.org/about/history.cgi |archive-date = 2006-04-14}} FireflyBSD has a similar logo, a firefly, showing its close relationship to DragonFly BSD. In fact, the FireflyBSD website states that proceeds from sales will go to the development of DragonFly BSD, suggesting that the two may in fact be very closely related.

PicoBSD's slogan is "For the little BSD in all of us," and its logo includes a version of FreeBSD's Beastie as a child,{{cite web | url = http://people.freebsd.org/~picobsd/images/picobsdbanner.gif | title = PicoBSD Banner – For the little BSD in all of us | format = GIF | publisher = The FreeBSD Project | access-date = 2006-04-22 |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20060503041952/http://people.freebsd.org/~picobsd/images/picobsdbanner.gif |archive-date = 2006-05-03}} showing its close connection to FreeBSD, and the minimal amount of code needed to run as a Live CD.

A number of BSD OSes use stylized version of their respective names for logos. This includes TrueOS, GhostBSD, DesktopBSD, ClosedBSD,{{cite web | url = http://www.closedbsd.org/images/logo.jpg | title = ClosedBSD logo

| format = JPEG | access-date = 2006-10-14 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20050306153339/http://www.closedbsd.org/images/logo.jpg

| archive-date=2005-03-06}} Original last retrieved on 2006-04-22. and MicroBSD.{{cite web | url = http://www.microbsd.net/images/logo.png | title = MicroBSD logo – The small secure unix like OS | format = PNG | access-date = 2006-04-22 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20060425092758/http://www.microbsd.net/images/logo.png | archive-date = 2006-04-25 | url-status = dead }} TrueOS's slogan is "Personal computing, served up BSD style!", GhostBSD's "A simple, secure BSD served on a Desktop." DesktopBSD's "A Step Towards BSD on the Desktop." MicroBSD's slogan is "The small secure unix like OS."

MirOS's site collects a variety of BSD mascots and Tux, the Linux mascot, together, illustrating the project's aim of supporting both BSD and Linux kernels. MirOS's slogan is "a wonderful operating system for a world of peace."{{cite web | url = http://mirbsd.mirsolutions.de/ | title = MirOS/MirPorts: a wonderful operating system for a world of peace | publisher = MirOS Project | access-date = 2006-04-22 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20060412181907/http://mirbsd.mirsolutions.de/ | archive-date = 2006-04-12 | url-status = dead }}

{{clear}}

{{sort-under}}

{{reflist|group=Note|refs=

386BSD, BSD/OS, SunOS, and Ultrix are historic operating systems that are no longer developed. BSDeviant and ekkoBSD do not exist anymore either, although BSDeviant is still available for download (see external links). MicroBSD ended, then started again in 2003, but it does not seem that any progress has been made since then, though the website still exists.

This article only refers to SunOS through version 4.x. SunOS from release 5.x forward is based on SVR4, and is most commonly referred to as Solaris.

}}

{{Portal|Free and open-source software}}

• List of BSD operating systems
• Lumina_(desktop_environment)
• BSD license
• Comparison of open source operating systems
• Comparison of operating systems

{{reflist|colwidth=30em}}

• {{cite web|last=Milo |date=1998-06-22 |url=http://www.osdata.com/oses/freebsd.htm |title=FreeBSD |work=Operating System Technical Comparison |publisher=OSdata |access-date=2006-06-02 |display-authors=etal |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070114203948/http://kamidake.other-space.com/ |archive-date=2007-01-14 }}
• {{cite web | last = Milo | date = 1998-06-22 | url = http://www.osdata.com/oses/openbsd.htm | title = OpenBSD | work = Operating System Technical Comparison | access-date = 2006-06-02 |display-authors=etal}}
• {{cite web

| last = Milo

| date = 1998-06-22| url = http://www.osdata.com/oses/netbsd.htm

| title = NetBSD

| work = Operating System Technical Comparison

| publisher = OSdata

| access-date = 2006-06-02

|display-authors=etal}}

• {{cite web

| last = Milo

| date = 1998-06-22| url = http://www.osdata.com/oses/sunos.htm

| title = SunOS

| work = Operating System Technical Comparison

| publisher = OSdata

| access-date = 2006-06-02

|display-authors=etal}}

• {{cite web

| url = http://www.ocf.berkeley.edu/solaris/versions/

| title = SunOS & Solaris version history

| publisher = Berkeley

| access-date = 2006-06-02

| archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20060209052109/http://www.ocf.berkeley.edu/solaris/versions/ |archive-date = 2006-02-09}}

• {{cite web

| date = 1996-11-04

| url = http://www.supelec.fr/decus/faq/faq-ultrix.html

| title = Ultrix FAQ

| access-date = 2006-06-02

|archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20060519112826/http://www.supelec.fr/decus/faq/faq-ultrix.html |archive-date = 2006-05-19}}

• {{cite web

| last = Milo '

| date = 1998-06-22| url = http://www.osdata.com/oses/ultrix.htm

| title = Ultrix

| work = Operating System Technical Comparison

| publisher = OSdata

| access-date = 2006-06-02

}}

• {{cite web

| last = Milo

| date = 1998-06-22| url = http://www.osdata.com/oses/macosx.htm

| title = Mac OS X

| work = Operating System Technical Comparison

| publisher = OSdata

| access-date = 2006-06-02

|display-authors=etal}}

• {{cite web

|last=Milo

|date=1998-06-22

|url=http://www.osdata.com/oses/mxs.htm

|title=Mac OS X Server

|work=Operating System Technical Comparison

|publisher=OSdata

|access-date=2006-06-02

|display-authors=etal

|url-status=dead

|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070114203948/http://kamidake.other-space.com/

|archive-date=2007-01-14

}}

• {{cite web

| url = http://bsdeviant.org/

| title = BSDeviant download page

| publisher = Bsdeviant.org

| access-date = 2008-06-30

| archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20080905021045/http://bsdeviant.org/

| archive-date = 2008-09-05

| url-status = dead

}} A semi-official download page.

• {{cite web

| date = 2003-11-25

| url = http://bsd.slashdot.org/article.pl?sid=03/11/25/2331244

| title = ekkoBSD 1.0 BETA1B Released

| publisher = Slashdot

| access-date = 2006-06-03

}}

• {{cite web

| last = Milo

| date = 1998-05-31| url = http://www.osdata.com/

| title = Operating System Technical Comparison

| publisher = OSdata

| access-date = 2006-06-02

|display-authors=etal}}

• {{cite web

| last = Brown

| first = Martin

| date = 2004-08-10

| url = http://www.serverwatch.com/tutorials/article.php/3393051

| title = Differentiating Among BSD Distros

| page = 4

| publisher = Jupitermedia Corporation

| access-date = 2006-06-03

}}

• {{cite web

| last = Schneider

| first = Wolfram |author2=Gilliam, Josh |author3=Schultz, Steven M.

| year = 1997–2004

| url = http://ftp.netbsd.org/pub/NetBSD/NetBSD-current/src/share/misc/bsd-family-tree

| title = The UNIX system family tree: Research and BSD

| format = ASCII

| publisher = The NetBSD Foundation

| access-date = 2006-06-03

}}

{{Berkeley Software Distribution}}

{{unix-like}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Comparison Of Bsd Operating Systems}}

*Comparison

BSD operating systems