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NetBSD version 1.6 released

By Jeremy C. Reed

The NetBSD Project today released NetBSD version 1.6, a proven operating system designed for computer tasks ranging from word processing and office productivity to secure file, DNS and web serving. NetBSD includes a variety of popular software such as BIND, GCC, IP Filter, IPSec, Kerberos, OpenSSH, OpenSSL, Postfix, Sendmail, and XFree86. The NetBSD packages collection includes the KDE 3 and GNOME desktop environments, OpenOffice.org, Perl, Python, Apache, PostgreSQL, Snort, and over 3000 other ready-to-use, third-party software packages.

Known as the most portable operating system in the world, NetBSD supports 52 different system architectures, ranging from Acorn, Algorithmics and Alpha to Sun, VAX and x86-64 hardware. Examples of hardware newly supported by NetBSD 1.6 include Algorithmics P-5064, Sega Dreamcast, various evaluation ARM-type boards, Hewlett-Packard Jornada 820, Compaq iPAQ H3600, Hitachi PERSONA HPW-230JC, SONY NWS-5000, Motorola Sandpoint, Silicon Graphics O2, Sun 2/170, and the IBM PowerPC 405GP based walnut evaluation board.

The last formal release of NetBSD was version 1.5.3 in July, 2002. NetBSD 1.6 is considered a major release. It is based on various new technological improvements and additions developed, integrated, and tested during the past year and a half. NetBSD 1.6 also includes security updates for various recent issues.

Notable NetBSD 1.6 features include:

LFS 2, an enhanced Log-Structured File System;
Linux 2.4.18 binary emulation;
IrDA for cordless infrared connections;
Partial USB 2.0 support;
Cross-compilation of the base system;
IPv6 packet filtering;
In-kernel PPPoE (PPP over Ethernet);
Improved multibyte internationalization support;
Booting from software-based RAID devices; and
Ethernet-like network bridging.

NetBSD is a freely-available, open source, Unix-type operating system. More information about the operating system and the project can be found at http://www.netbsd.org/.

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September 16, 2013 11:24:29

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