Port Tiers

FreeM follows a tiered system for the various platform ports. This delineates our support positioning for each platform, as well as the level of testing and verification a port will receive.

Primary Development Platform

FreeM is primarily developed under Solaris 5.8 on a Sun Ultra 10 workstation. This ensures that we don't break compatibility with most older systems by introducing Linux-specific features or system calls.

Tier 1

Tier 1 Ports receive the maximum level of support, testing, and verification. Ports in this category are tested and verified with every FreeM release, and are the most stable ports of FreeM.

Ports in this tier include Solaris and GNU/Linux.

Tier 2

Tier 2 Ports receive moderate support and spot testing, but may not be verified with every FreeM release. Issues with these ports will be handled on a case-by-case basis.

Ports in this tier include SCO OpenServer and Compaq Tru64 UNIX.

Tier 3

Tier 3 Ports are currently considered unsupportable. They may or may not build or function at any given time, due to significant architectural challenges or lack of testing equipment.

Ports in this tier include GNU HURD and macOS.

Tier 4

Tier 4 Ports are ports that are under consideration and/or investigation, but where porting work has not yet begun in earnest.

Ports in this tier include OS/2 with EMX.