FreeBSD 7.0 Released
The BSD variant, FreeBSD, has just updated to version 7.0. According to announcements on the project’s website, performance and exploitation of multiple processor architectures have been greatly improved.
The developers point to internal benchmarks, which demonstrate an improvement of 350 percent in comparison to FreeBSD 6.0 at average load, and of around 1500% at high load levels. FreeBSD is also said to provide 15% better performance than the current Linux kernels (2.6.22 and 2.6.24). The distribution now uses a 1:1 Libthr threading model to process parallel requests by default. An improved ULE scheduler is also included, although it is not the default scheduler; this position is still held by the 4BSD scheduler.
With respect to filesystems FreeBSD now offers read-only support for XFS and experimental support for Sun’s scalable ZFS filesystem. Gjournal gives administrators the ability to add journaling to filesystems. The developers have also fixed some bugs relating to the Union FS virtual filesystem. On top of this, FreeBSD includes an experimental reference implementation of SCTP (Stream Control Transmission Protocol), a connection-oriented transport protocol that serves as an alternative to TCP (specification in RFC 4960). In contrast to TCP, SCTP is held to be immune to Syn flooding and DoS attacks.
FreeBSD includes the KDE 3.5.8 and Gnome 2.20.2 desktops. It relies on X.org 7.3., includes GCC 4.2.1, and has improved support for developer boards with ARM architecture. You can download FreeBSD via an FTP server or the Bitorrent network. Links to both variants are available on the announce page.
Subscribe to our Linux Newsletters
Find Linux and Open Source Jobs
Subscribe to our ADMIN Newsletters
Support Our Work
Linux Magazine content is made possible with support from readers like you. Please consider contributing when you’ve found an article to be beneficial.
News
-
The Bullet-Proof KDE Software Initiative Is Coming
KDE, Techpaladin, and Kubuntu Focus have announced a new initiative that will provide at least three years of support for KDE Plasma 6.6 LTS and related software.
-
Linux Mint Shares a Possible Kernel Cleanup Solution
For those on Linux Mint who like to keep multiple kernels around but don't want them to take up too much space, you might be getting a new automated tool.
-
CachyOS Gets an Update
CachyOS August 2026 release is now available with the latest version of KDE, some new features, and plenty of improvements.
-
The Linux Kernel Dev Staging Area Now Rejects AI-Generated Patches
Unless a kernel patch is a valid security fix, it will be rejected if it was created using AI.
-
Linux Surpasses Double-Digit Market Share
According to two sources, the Linux operating system has hit a major milestone in market share that naysayers thought would never happen.
-
AI Helped Develop a Linux Exploit
A use-after-free race exploit was discovered and exploited on CentOS Stream 9.
-
Yet Another Linux Kernel Vulnerability Discovered
Affecting millions of systems, a kernel flaw discovered by Qualys could allow users to gain root privileges.
-
Ubuntu 26.10 to Include Ubuntu Certified Hardware Check
If you've ever wondered if your laptop or PC is officially certified to run Ubuntu, that curiosity will soon be met.
-
Substantial Update to IPFire Now Available
The lastest version of IPFire features a fundamental change to how the system handles DNS.
-
Gnome Working on Test Center App to Make Testing Easier
It's now possible to test experimental features on the Gnome desktop without worrying that you'll break things.