View source for 386BSD

{{Short description|Unix-like operating system}}
{{distinguish|text=[[BSD/OS|BSD/386]], the commercial Unix sold by BSDi}}
{{More footnotes needed|date=June 2021}}
{{Infobox OS
| name = 386BSD
| logo = [[File:386BSD logo.png|130px]]
| screenshot = 386BSD installer screenshot.png
| caption = 386BSD Release 0.1 installer ("Tiny 386BSD")
| developer = [[William Jolitz]]<br />[[Lynne Jolitz]]
| family = [[Unix-like]]
| released = 0.0<ref name="0.0-release">{{cite web|url=https://groups.google.com/forum/#!original/comp.unix.bsd/TZ-gIRRHiXA/eAe6xqiqiU0J|title=386BSD 0.0 Release Notes}}</ref> {{Start date and age|1992|03|12}}
| language = 
| ui = 
| license = [[BSD license]]
| succeeded by = [[FreeBSD]], [[NetBSD]]
| website = {{URL|386bsd.org}}
| source_model = [[Open-source software|Open source]]
| latest_release_version = 2.0
| latest_release_date = {{Start date and age|2016|8}}
| latest_test_version = 
| latest_test_date = 
| marketing_target = 
| kernel_type = 
| working_state = Historical
| supported_platforms = [[x86]]
}}
'''386BSD''' (also known as "'''Jolix'''"<ref name="foldoc"/>) is a [[Unix-like]] [[operating system]]<ref>{{Cite web |title=Index of /pub/386BSD/386bsd-0.0/floppies |url=http://188.44.42.58/oldlinux.org/Linux.old/distributions/386BSD/386bsd-0.0/floppies/index.html |access-date=2024-12-06 |website=188.44.42.58}}</ref> that was developed by couple [[Lynne Jolitz|Lynne]] and [[William Jolitz|William "Bill" Jolitz]].<ref>{{Cite web |last=Chalmers |first=Rachel |date=2000-05-17 |title=The unknown hackers |url=https://www.salon.com/2000/05/17/386bsd/ |access-date=2023-11-24 |website=Salon |language=en}}</ref> Released as [[Free and open-source software|free and open source]] in 1992, it was the first fully operational [[Unix]] built to run on [[IBM PC compatible|IBM PC-compatible]] systems based on the [[Intel 80386]] ("i386") [[microprocessor]], and the first Unix-like system on affordable home-class hardware to be freely distributed.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Bentson |first=Randolph |title=The Humble Beginnings of Linux |url=https://dl.acm.org/doi/fullHtml/10.5555/324785.324786 |access-date=2023-11-24 |website=dl.acm.org}}</ref> Its innovations included [[role-based security]], [[ring buffer]]s, self-ordered configuration and [[Loadable kernel module|modular kernel]] design.

Development began in 1989 while the Jolitzes were at the [[University of California, Berkeley]]'s [[Computer Systems Research Group]] (CSRG), intended to be a port of [[Berkeley Software Distribution|BSD]] to 386-based personal computers. They then contributed the project to the university with some of the work ending up in [[History of the Berkeley Software Distribution|BSD's Net/2]], distributed in 1991.<ref name=":1">{{Cite web |title=Jolitz: The Road Not Taken |url=https://www.tech-insider.org/unix/research/1992/0319.html |access-date=2024-12-06 |website=www.tech-insider.org}}</ref> However, when the CSRG scrapped the project and ruled that his work was "university [[Proprietary software|proprietary]]", Jolitz rewrote the code from scratch,<ref name=":2">{{Cite web |title=Unix Labs' Berkeley Software Design Suit Finds Berkeley University in Disarray |url=https://www.tech-insider.org/usl-v-bsdi-ucb/research/1992/0806.html |access-date=2024-12-05 |website=www.tech-insider.org}}</ref> based on the incomplete free code from Net/2.<ref name=":1" /> Jolitz also claims that 386BSD was the base of [[Berkeley Software Design|Berkeley Software Design (BSDi)]]'s commercial [[BSD/OS|BSD/386]].<ref name=":2" />

386BSD was short-lived as disagreements between Jolitz and a group of users regarding its future direction led to the users forking it into the [[FreeBSD]] project as well as the separate [[NetBSD]], both of which continue to this day; 386BSD's version 1.0 was released in 1994, after which work on it had ceased.<ref>{{Cite web |title=History of Unix, BSD, GNU, and Linux - CrystalLabs — Davor Ocelic's Blog |url=https://crystallabs.io/unix-bsd-gnu-linux-history/#386bsd |access-date=2024-11-22 |website=crystallabs.io |language=en}}</ref> Eventually, [[Linux]] would take off as the most popular complete free Unix clone for PCs,<ref>{{Cite web |last=Lunduke |first=Bryan |date=2023-04-16 |title=The very first interview about Linux with Linus Torvalds - Oct 28, 1992 |url=https://lunduke.substack.com/p/the-very-first-interview-about-linux |access-date=2024-11-22 |website=The Lunduke Journal of Technology}}</ref> partly due to the slow progress of 386BSD and the then-ongoing [[UNIX System Laboratories, Inc. v. Berkeley Software Design, Inc.|lawsuit surrounding BSD]].<ref>{{Cite web |last=Leonard |first=Andrew |date=2000-05-16 |title=BSD Unix: Power to the people, from the code |url=https://www.salon.com/2000/05/16/chapter_2_part_one/ |access-date=2024-12-05 |website=Salon |language=en}}</ref>

== History and releases ==
{{Further|History of the Berkeley Software Distribution}}
386BSD was written mainly by Berkeley alumni [[Lynne Jolitz]] and [[William Jolitz]]. William had considerable experience with prior BSD releases while at the [[University of California, Berkeley]] (2.8 and 2.9BSD) and both contributed code developed at Symmetric Computer Systems during the 1980s, to Berkeley. William worked at Berkeley on porting 4.3BSD-Reno and later 4.3BSD&nbsp;Net/2 to the Intel 80386 for the university. 4.3BSD Net/2 was an incomplete non-operational release, with portions withheld by the University of California as ''encumbered'' (i.e. subject to an [[AT&T UNIX]] [[source code]] license). 386BSD does not contain any original Unix code.<ref name=":0">{{Cite web |title=History of Linux |url=https://pld.cs.luc.edu/courses/412/spr24/mnotes/linux.html |access-date=2024-11-22 |website=pld.cs.luc.edu}}</ref>

The port began in 1989 and the first, incomplete traces of the port can be found in 4.3BSD&nbsp;Net/2 of 1991. The port was made possible as [[Keith Bostic (software engineer)|Keith Bostic]], partly influenced by [[Richard Stallman]],<ref>Sam Williams, "Free as in Freedom", March 2002, O'Reilly [https://www.oreilly.com/openbook/freedom/ch09.html chapter 9] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220613160657/https://www.oreilly.com/openbook/freedom/ch09.html|date=2022-06-13}}</ref> had started to remove proprietary [[AT&T]] out of BSD in 1988.<ref>Eric S. Raymond. 2003. [http://www.faqs.org/docs/artu/ch02s01.html Origins and History of Unix, 1969-1995] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150610225448/http://www.faqs.org/docs/artu/ch02s01.html|date=2015-06-10}} The Art of Unix Programming. Chapter 2. History.</ref> The port was first released to the public in March 1992 (version 0.0<ref name="0.0-release" />) - based on portions of the 4.3BSD&nbsp;Net/2 release coupled with additional code (see "Missing Pieces I and II", ''[[Dr. Dobb's Journal]]'', May–June 1992) - and in a much more usable version on July 14, 1992 (version 0.1<ref name="0.1-release">{{cite web |title=386BSD 0.1 Release Notes |url=https://groups.google.com/forum/#!original/comp.unix.bsd/zA8Jl89HSRo/DqMzaUUZ7wYJ}}</ref>).

386BSD proved popular, with it receiving 250,000 downloads from the [[File Transfer Protocol|FTP]] server it was hosted on.<ref>{{Cite web |date=2020-10-20 |title=History of FreeBSD – Part 2: BSDi and USL Lawsuits |url=https://klarasystems.com/articles/history-of-freebsd-part-2-bsdi-and-usl-lawsuits/ |access-date=2023-11-24 |website=Klara Inc |language=en-US}}</ref> It was helped partly by the porting process with code being extensively documented in a 17-part series written by Lynne and William in ''[[Dr. Dobb's Journal]]'' beginning in January 1991.<ref>{{Cite web |title=386BSD |url=https://www.386bsd.org/releases/porting-unix-to-the-386-the-final-step-running-light-with-386bsd-article |access-date=2023-11-24 |website=www.386bsd.org}}</ref>

In late 1994, a finished version 386BSD Release 1.0 was distributed by ''Dr. Dobb's Journal'' on [[CD-ROM]] only due to the immense size (600 [[megabyte|MB]]) of the release (the ''"386BSD Reference CD-ROM"'') and was a best-selling CDROM for three years (1994–1997). 386BSD Release 1.0 contained a completely new [[Kernel (operating system)|kernel]] design and implementation, and began the process to incorporate recommendations made by earlier Berkeley designers that had never been attempted in BSD.<ref>{{Cite web |date=2018-05-23 |title=The Fun with 386BSD |url=https://jolitz.telemuse.net/2lgj/on386bsd |access-date=2025-04-13 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180523112805/https://jolitz.telemuse.net/2lgj/on386bsd |archive-date=23 May 2018 }}</ref><ref>{{Cite book |last1=Jolitz |first1=Lynne Greer |title=Source code secrets: the basic kernel |last2=Jolitz |first2=William Frederick |date=1996 |publisher=Peer-to-Peer Communications |isbn=978-1-57398-026-5 |series=Operating system source code secrets |location=San Jose, Calif |pages=487}}</ref>

On August 5, 2016, an update was pushed to the 386BSD [[GitHub|GitHub repository]] by developer Ben Jolitz, named version 2.0.<ref>{{Cite web |date=9 October 2016 |title=After 22 Years, 386BSD Gets An Update - Slashdot |url=https://bsd.slashdot.org/story/16/10/09/0230203/after-22-years-386bsd-gets-an-update |access-date=2017-03-14 |website=bsd.slashdot.org |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=386bsd/386bsd |url=https://github.com/386bsd/386bsd |access-date=2017-03-14 |website=GitHub |language=en}}</ref> According to the official website, Release 2.0 "built upon the modular framework to create self-healing components."<ref>{{Cite web |title=386BSD Official website |url=https://386bsd.org/about |access-date=2021-03-13}}</ref> However, {{as of|2017|March|16|lc=y|df=US}}, almost all of the documentation remains the same as version 1.0, and a [[changelog]] was not available.

=== FreeBSD and NetBSD ===
After the release of 386BSD 0.1,<ref name="0.1-release" /> a group of users began collecting bug fixes and enhancements, releasing them as an unofficial ''[[patch (computing)|patchkit]]''. Due to differences of opinion between the Jolitzes and the patchkit maintainers over the future direction and release schedule of 386BSD,<ref name="386bsd-faq"/> the maintainers of the patchkit founded the [[FreeBSD]] project in 1993 to continue their work.<ref name="Auto7E-1"/> Around the same time, the [[NetBSD]] project was founded by a different group of 386BSD users, with the aim of unifying 386BSD with other strands of BSD development into one multi-platform system. Both projects continue to this day.

The FreeBSD [[website]] at the time claimed that 386BSD suffered from "neglect". However, the 386BSD site claimed that this is not true:<ref name=":0" />

{{Blockquote|text=This whole "FreeBSD roots" is completely fictitious, and invented to cover the wholesale theft of the 386BSD user base.}}

== Unix and BSD lawsuit ==
Due to a lawsuit (''[[UNIX System Laboratories, Inc. v. Berkeley Software Design, Inc.]]''), some potentially so-called ''encumbered'' source was agreed to have been distributed within the [[Berkeley Software Distribution]] Net/2 from the University of California, and a subsequent release (1993, 4.4BSD-Lite) was made by the university to correct this issue. However, 386BSD, ''[[Dr. Dobb's Journal]]'', and the Jolitzes were never parties to these or subsequent lawsuits or settlements arising from this dispute with the University of California, and continued to publish and work on the 386BSD code base before, during, and after these lawsuits without limitation. There has never been any legal filings or claims from the university, USL, or other responsible parties with respect to 386BSD. Finally, no code developed for 386BSD done by William Jolitz and Lynne Jolitz was at issue in any of these lawsuits.

== Copyright and use of the code ==
All rights with respect to 386BSD and JOLIX are now held exclusively by William and Lynne Jolitz.{{dubious|Ownership|date=February 2014}} 386BSD public releases ended in 1997 since code is now available from the many 386BSD-derived [[operating system]]s today, along with several derivatives thereof (such as [[FreeBSD]], [[NetBSD]] and [[OpenBSD]]). Portions of 386BSD may be found in other open systems such as [[OpenSolaris]].

== Relationship with BSD/386 ==
386BSD is often confused with [[BSD/386]] which was a different project developed by [[Berkeley Software Design|BSDi]], a Berkeley [[Corporate spin-off|spinout]], starting in 1991. BSD/386 used the same 386BSD code contributed to the University of California on ''4.3BSD NET/2''. Although Jolitz worked briefly for [[UUNET]] (which later spun out BSDi) in 1991, the work he did for them diverged from that contributed to the University of California and did not appear in 386BSD. Instead, William Jolitz gave regular code updates to Donn Seeley of BSDi for packaging and testing, and returned all materials when William left the company following fundamental disagreements on company direction and goals.

== Further reading ==
* Jolitz, William F. and Jolitz, Lynne Greer: Porting UNIX to the 386: A Practical Approach, 17-part series in ''[[Dr. Dobb's Journal]]'', January 1991 – July 1992:<ref name="DDJ-386BSD">{{cite web|url=https://groups.google.com/forum/#!original/comp.unix.bsd/uXJjzT4g7qI/mLMsO0hJsV4J|title=DDJ articles for 386BSD}}</ref><ref name="full_articles-DDJ-386BSD">{{cite web|url=https://www.386bsd.org/releases|title=Porting Unix to the 386}}</ref>
** Jan/1991: DDJ "Designing a Software Specification"
** Feb/1991: DDJ "Three Initial PC Utilities"
** Mar/1991: DDJ "The Standalone System"
** Apr/1991: DDJ "Language Tools Cross-Support"
** May/1991: DDJ "The Initial Root Filesystem"
** Jun/1991: DDJ "Research and the Commercial Sector: Where Does BSD Fit In?"
** Jul/1991: DDJ "A Stripped-Down Kernel"
** Aug/1991: DDJ "The Basic Kernel"
** Sep/1991: DDJ "Multiprogramming and Multiprocessing, Part I"
** Oct/1991: DDJ "Multiprogramming and Multiprocessing, Part II"
** Nov/1991: DDJ "Device Autoconfiguration"
** Feb/1992: DDJ "UNIX Device Drivers, Part I"
** Mar/1992: DDJ "UNIX Device Drivers, Part II"
** Apr/1992: DDJ "UNIX Device Drivers, Part III"
** May/1992: DDJ "Missing Pieces, Part I"
** Jun/1992: DDJ "Missing Pieces, Part II"
** Jul/1992: DDJ "The Final Step: Running Light with 386BSD"
* Jolitz, William F. and Jolitz, Lynne Greer: Operating System Source Code Secrets Vol 1 The Basic Kernel, 1996, {{ISBN|1-57398-026-9}}
* Jolitz, William F. and Jolitz, Lynne Greer: Operating System Source Code Secrets Vol 2 Virtual Memory, 2000, {{ISBN|1-57398-027-7}}

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

{{reflist|refs=
<ref name="foldoc">{{cite web|url=http://foldoc.org/jolix|title=386BSD|date=2006-06-08|work=[[Free On-line Dictionary of Computing]]|access-date=2009-11-17}}</ref>
<ref name="386bsd-faq">{{cite web|url=http://www.386bsd.org/faq|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140113100115/http://www.386bsd.org/faq|url-status=dead|archive-date=2014-01-13|title=386BSD FAQ|date=2014-01-13|work=William Jolitz, Lynne Jolitz|access-date=13 January 2014}}</ref>
<ref name="Auto7E-1">[http://www.freebsd.org/doc/en_US.ISO8859-1/books/handbook/history.html About the FreeBSD Project<!-- Bot generated title -->]</ref>
}}

== External links ==
{{external links|date=October 2025}}
* {{Official website|www.386bsd.org}}
* [https://386bsd.github.io William Jolitz's 386bsd Notebook]
* [http://www.jolix.com Jolix.com]
* [http://porting-unix-to-the-386.jolix.com/ Porting UNIX to the 386: A Practical Approach]
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20180523112805/https://jolitz.telemuse.net/2lgj/on386bsd Memories of 386BSD releases by Lynne Jolitz]
* [https://www.salon.com/2000/05/17/386bsd/ The unknown hackers - Salon.com]
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20050305151340/http://minutepitch.valux.com/386bsddesign 386BSD Design Notes Professional Video Series]
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20160914043458/http://www.386bsd.org/faq Frequently asked questions of 386BSD - active Q/A by authors]
* {{Cite web |url=http://cm.bell-labs.com/cm/cs/who/dmr/bsdi/bsdisuit.html |title=Remarks and papers on USL v UC Berkeley by Dennis M. Ritchie. |access-date=September 12, 2005 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150205025251/http://cm.bell-labs.com/cm/cs/who/dmr/bsdi/bsdisuit.html |archive-date=February 5, 2015 |url-status=dead |df=mdy-all }}
* [https://www.theage.com.au/technology/raising-top-quality-rabble-20021226-gdg0tl.html Raising Top Quality Rabble; article mentioning 386BSD]
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20041113015343/http://www.theage.com.au/technology/itnews/yoursay/2003/05/22/ Archived comment on "Raising Top Quality Rabble" with remarks on the history of 386BSD by Lynne Jolitz]
* [http://mail-index.netbsd.org/netbsd-advocacy/2001/01/18/0017.html Remarks on the history of 386BSD by Greg Lehey]
* [http://gunkies.org/wiki/386_BSD More information on the various releases of 386BSD]
* [http://unix.superglobalmegacorp.com/386BSD-0.0/newsrc/ Browsable 386BSD kernel sources] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220606165501/https://unix.superglobalmegacorp.com/386BSD-0.0/newsrc/ |date=2022-06-06 }}

{{Berkeley Software Distribution}}
{{Unix}}

[[Category:Berkeley Software Distribution]]
[[Category:Discontinued operating systems]]
[[Category:Free software operating systems]]
[[Category:1992 software]]
[[Category:X86 operating systems]]