ClosedBSD
Encyclopedia
ClosedBSD was a derivative of FreeBSD
aimed at providing firewall and Network Address Translation
services, written by Joshua Bergeron. ClosedBSD aimed to be small in size, available as a floppy disk
image at 1.4MB
and as a CD-ROM
ISO image
at 12.8MB. Despite its small size, the software included a fully functional ncurses
-based interface.
One of the advantages of ClosedBSD was the ability to run directly off a floppy disk or a CD-ROM, with no hard drive needed. It could also run on relatively old hardware; the diskette version needing a x86-based computer with 8MB of RAM, while the CD-ROM version needs 32MB of RAM.
The latest released versions were 1.0B for the floppy and 1.0-RC1 for the CD.
ClosedBSD was freeware
, in that it is released at no cost. Only the binaries (the executable programs) were released, not the source code
. The binaries were distributed under the terms of the BSD License, which is a free software license, but ClosedBSD was not open source software because the source code was not available.
FreeBSD
FreeBSD is a free Unix-like operating system descended from AT&T UNIX via BSD UNIX. Although for legal reasons FreeBSD cannot be called “UNIX”, as the direct descendant of BSD UNIX , FreeBSD’s internals and system APIs are UNIX-compliant...
aimed at providing firewall and Network Address Translation
Network address translation
In computer networking, network address translation is the process of modifying IP address information in IP packet headers while in transit across a traffic routing device....
services, written by Joshua Bergeron. ClosedBSD aimed to be small in size, available as a floppy disk
Floppy disk
A floppy disk is a disk storage medium composed of a disk of thin and flexible magnetic storage medium, sealed in a rectangular plastic carrier lined with fabric that removes dust particles...
image at 1.4MB
Megabyte
The megabyte is a multiple of the unit byte for digital information storage or transmission with two different values depending on context: bytes generally for computer memory; and one million bytes generally for computer storage. The IEEE Standards Board has decided that "Mega will mean 1 000...
and as a CD-ROM
CD-ROM
A CD-ROM is a pre-pressed compact disc that contains data accessible to, but not writable by, a computer for data storage and music playback. The 1985 “Yellow Book” standard developed by Sony and Philips adapted the format to hold any form of binary data....
ISO image
ISO image
An ISO image is an archive file of an optical disc, composed of the data contents of every written sector of an optical disc, including the optical disc file system...
at 12.8MB. Despite its small size, the software included a fully functional ncurses
Ncurses
ncurses is a programming library that provides an API which allows the programmer to write text user interfaces in a terminal-independent manner. It is a toolkit for developing "GUI-like" application software that runs under a terminal emulator...
-based interface.
One of the advantages of ClosedBSD was the ability to run directly off a floppy disk or a CD-ROM, with no hard drive needed. It could also run on relatively old hardware; the diskette version needing a x86-based computer with 8MB of RAM, while the CD-ROM version needs 32MB of RAM.
The latest released versions were 1.0B for the floppy and 1.0-RC1 for the CD.
ClosedBSD was freeware
Freeware
Freeware is computer software that is available for use at no cost or for an optional fee, but usually with one or more restricted usage rights. Freeware is in contrast to commercial software, which is typically sold for profit, but might be distributed for a business or commercial purpose in the...
, in that it is released at no cost. Only the binaries (the executable programs) were released, not the source code
Source code
In computer science, source code is text written using the format and syntax of the programming language that it is being written in. Such a language is specially designed to facilitate the work of computer programmers, who specify the actions to be performed by a computer mostly by writing source...
. The binaries were distributed under the terms of the BSD License, which is a free software license, but ClosedBSD was not open source software because the source code was not available.