He also runs an excellent ISP in the UK called AAISP which I can highly recommend (https://www.aa.net.uk)
AAISP build their own core & customer networking devices/routers from scratch (not Linux based) in the UK. They are fascinating to use - a completely different evolutionary tree to any other networking kit I've used. Some unique features.
Which kernel are they using?
- Every line of code in the firmware, including building an operating system from the ground up with device drivers and IP stack.
- The FireBrick's hardware platform is not used in any other devices and the FireBrick's codebase / firmware is not used in any other hardware.
Given the feature set I'm a little dubious that it's all in-house. There are a ton of man-years of code in there.
It would be interesting to know the history of the software.
It's absolutely wild to think about a suite of software this sophisticated that exists outside the realm of Unix, Windows, or any of the long-term players in the embedded networking device market. I know there are boutique embedded IP stacks out there but it still boggles my mind that a small company like this has had sufficient revenue to keep up with the "churn" in the networking space for 20+ years w/o leaning on free/open-source software.
I wish I had a reason to interview RevK about the Firebrick code. I think it would be an immensely interesting topic.