What version of FBSD does Yahoo run?

[TM4525 at aol.com]

In a message dated 10/9/04 3:26:34 PM Eastern Daylight Time, 
tedm at toybox.placo.com writes:
> -----Original Message-----
> From: owner-freebsd-questions at freebsd.org
> [mailto:owner-freebsd-questions at freebsd.org]On Behalf Of TM4525 at aol.com
> Sent: Saturday, October 09, 2004 9:14 AM
> To: daemon at foxchat.net

> Note that it also took quite a bit a beating to get them to admit that 
> 
> 1) They dont know the answer to the Subject 
> or
> 2) Yahoo runs something quite different than what is available 
> generally since
> they've "substantially" modified it.
> 

No, it is just I would be surprised if they didn't.

Yahoo like any large company almost certainly has patentable ideas
and a crew of lawyers reviewing everything.  I would also expect
they have a patent portfolio.  Otherwise nothing would prevent some
competitor ripping off their ideas and setting up a duplicate
"yahoo" website.  I would guess - since it is usual for this in
most large companies - that some of these ideas are implemented in
the FreeBSD they run.

I don't work at Yahoo so I can freely speculate.  And my speculations
are founded on what is normal and usual for most larger companies.
Nobody that works at Yahoo and actually knows the truth would be
able to even speak hypothetically about what runs at Yahoo, as they
would almost certaily be under an NDA.  (something that is also
normal and usual for most large companies)

Ted
-----------------------------------------

I don't see why Yahoo, or any other large company for that matter, would
need or want to substantially modify the OS proper, as its a big win to
*not* modify it so that you can run on whatever is the latest and greatest
with minimal effort, you are certainly entitled to you opinion. 

Of course my point was that IF in fact you are right, and frankly I couldn't
care less if you are or not, then the FreeBSD clan shouldn't be touting
Yahoo as  "using freeBSD", any more than Ford can claim that 
some NASCAR driver drives a Mustang, if its been modified enough
so that what they use is a completely different animal. If what Yahoo 
uses is "based" on FreeBSD, thats much different that using what 
everyone else does.