Embedded BSD

[Michael Sierchio]

We owe a lot to Manuel Kasper's miniBSD.  I think the work
done in making m0n0wall may be just as important.  XML-based
configuration is a powerful tool, and we can distribute
updates as signed XML objects at a fairly high level
of granularity.

The process of creating distributions for embedded use
is more painful than it needs to be, and is exacerbated
by the notion of what constitutes a "base" install in
FreeBSD.  Of course a desktop system needs some version
of MTA, etc. but I've long argued that much of what is
included in the base install belongs in packages (which
most installs will include, of course).

While picoBSD had a purpose, I think its time has passed.
A 128MB CF card and hardware to use it as a drive are
more ubiquitous and cheaper than a floppy (the last several
computers I've bought haven't even had fd devices).  I can't
see the point in continued effort in that vein any more than in
using clay tablets and cuneiform implements for documentation. ;-)

Just some random thoughts at the end of a very long Monday.

Cheers,

Michael