Bind in FreeBSD, security advisories

[sthaug at nethelp.no]

> > and every contrib part which is removed, detracts from this.
> > 
> 
> And every contrib part that is added to base is another piece of
> software that rots for the life of a major release and ends up getting
> replaced by frustrated endusers with the latest in ports...
> 
> The tight integration of the base system that everyone appreciates and
> respects is far below high-level software like BIND.

Speaking only for myself, I disagree rather strongly with this.

Looking at /usr/src/contrib on an 8.4-STABLE system, I use the
following frequently (often several times per day):

bind9
diff
less
libreadline (used by lots of other stuff)
ntp
nvi
tcp_wrappers
tcpdump
tcsh
telnet
top
traceroute

If you remove these contrib parts from FreeBSD, that means at least
12 packages I'd need to install on every new FreeBSD system to get
the system in a (for me) functional state. Certainly not a *major*
hassle - but having these parts integrated is part of the FreeBSD
attraction. I don't think we should work to make FreeBSD less
attractive...

Steinar Haug, Nethelp consulting, sthaug at nethelp.no