Why does FreeBSD not use the Linux kernel?

[Michael Sierchio]

On Wed, Jun 17, 2020 at 5:19 AM Polytropon <freebsd at edvax.de> wrote:

> On Wed, 17 Jun 2020 11:33:25 +0800, kindu smith wrote:
> > Why does FreeBSD not use the Linux kernel? The structure of FreeBSD is
> > very good, such as the startup and directory structure, and the user
> > island program. The only shortcoming is poor hardware support. This is
> > mainly due to the lack of drivers provided by the kernel.
>
> While there are certain basic drivers in the kernel, the
> majority of drivers is provided by loadable kernel modules,
> either developed by the FreeBSD team itself, or available
> from the ports collection. They use interfaces provided by
> the kernel.
>
>
The chief difference from my perspective is that it is possible in FreeBSD
to create a monolithic kernel and prohibit the loading of kernel modules,
foiling one step in the chain of a rootkit.  It's especially convenient for
embedded devices, security appliances, etc.

Some features cannot work as loadable kernel modules, such as kernel NAT in
ipfw supplied by LIBALIAS.

-- 

"Well," Brahmā said, "even after ten thousand explanations, a fool is no
wiser, but an intelligent person requires only two thousand five hundred."

- The Mahābhārata