One reason is probably that when you use opensource software and keep tracking all the updates, you end up with more and more bloated software that does not fit into a space-limited router anymore.
It works fine on the PC platform where space and other resource usage (CPU) has grown with the code, but on embedded hardware it is a bit more difficult.
Remember the current routers mostly have only 16MB of flash space!
(the previous generation usually had 128MB which was a bit more generous, but to store generic opensouce software for all functions you would need more like 512MB-1GB in my experience)
I don’t see all this bloat. Well, not at where we talking: low level, kernel, drivers and servers. Take a look at the RaspberryPi: Full OpenSource, ARM, Linux kernel. This is fdisk usage from one I have access to (default install, with graphic desktop and full updated).
df -h
Sist. Arq. Tam. Usado Disp. Uso% Montado em
/dev/root 15G 4,6G 9,4G 33% /
devtmpfs 370M 0 370M 0% /dev
tmpfs 375M 0 375M 0% /dev/shm
tmpfs 375M 9,9M 365M 3% /run
tmpfs 5,0M 4,0K 5,0M 1% /run/lock
tmpfs 375M 0 375M 0% /sys/fs/cgroup
/dev/mmcblk0p1 41M 22M 20M 53% /boot
tmpfs 75M 0 75M 0% /run/user/1002
tmpfs 75M 0 75M 0% /run/user/1001
I am using 4,6GiB of disk space. Not that bad.
True, it doesn’t have OpenVPN and everything else installed - but it would not use more than 1 GiB. Even if it used 3 more GiB: It would be still using less than ROS.
So, no. To me is more about control. If they build it, they can guarantee the software through the expected life cycle of the product.
If it is a good idea, if this costs less resources than going full OpenSource, if the competitive advantage is worth the trouble (even if there is one or not) is another problem - and a strategical decision to Mikrotik.
3GB is less than ROS? ROS is 20-40MB…
I think you somehow are confusing MB and GB here. Quite common these days!
many people also confuse bit (b) and byte (B) for traffic analysis.
many people think that if 1 megabyte = 1024 kilobytes, then 1 megabit per second = 1024 kilobits per second 
LOL True enough. Things move so fast, we lost track of these things. Nowadays we carry in the pocket a mobile with 4GiB of RAM - and my first computer had 16KiB of RAM… Sometimes is enough to make lost track of things… 
I don’t really buy this argument. Linksys, DLINK, etc all use open source software and have no issues selling $50 routers with enough disk space to support all these packages. With good compilation options and stripping of binaries it’s possible to get very small versions of many popular packages. And as you say, Mikrotik used to have plenty of disk space with their products, only recently have they been skimping on the NAND size.
I think @levicki is correct about being beholden to the manufacturer’s release cadences. Most manufacturers of embedded networking kit are still hanging out on kernel 3.x. It’s really annoying! If any manufacturer is reading this: STOP DOING OUT-OF-LINE KERNEL RELEASES. UPSTREAM YOUR CHANGES.
I digress…
In terms of features, at release, ROS 6 was in the unique position of supporting some fairly advanced scenarios; but these had to be developed in-house. Since that time, much effort (and a LOT of money) has been put in to the Linux network stack, especially in the v4.x series. As a result, vanilla Linux kernel can do almost everything ROS can do, and more besides. ROS can’t leverage those developments unless they backport the features from v4 kernel to v3 kernel, because most manufacturer SDK’s are, as mentioned previously, still stuck in kernel v3-land.
So, all this to answer the question, “When?” My gut tells me that it won’t happen until it’s more painful to maintain ROS v6 than it is to start over and leverage open-source efforts better. As ROS v6 continues to age, use-cases in [newer, more complex, software-driven] environments will shrink; to the point where it’s only useful for very small providers, small business, and home users.
From where I’m standing, as a service provider, the competitive landscape is changing rapidly. To survive, I must be able to offer new services my customers are demanding as quickly as possible. Right now, my biggest limiting factor in delivering those services is RouterOS. I really, really love RouterOS, but it’s not growing with me and, sadly, I don’t think Mikrotik is all that interested in what we have to say.
Evidence:
- Numerous attempts to solicit ideas for future products from the forum community (see: http://forum.mikrotik.com/t/which-types-of-ports-would-you-like-to-see-for-a-high-speed-router/108634/1), then basically ignoring it and going a different direction
- Continued focus on last-mile and switching-type devices and software supporting said devices
- Inability and/or unwillingness to maintain a coherent feature request list (see: https://community.ubnt.com/t5/UNMS-Feature-Requests/idb-p/UNMSFeatureRequests as an example of how to do it better) that the community can vote/provide feedback on
Am I wrong? Possibly. I’m trying to be as objective as I can in this analysis; but I’ll admit I’m at the point of “believe-it-when-you-see-it”.
I agree with almost everything @brotherdust has said above, his comments match my own feelings on the current state of Mikrotik.
I have been a huge fan of Mikrotik’s RouterOS, but I am using it less and less. The service provider market has kept evolving but RouterOS has not evolved with it.
Mikrotik had a lot of momentum with RouterOS and Service Provider features, e.g. they moved from Quagga to their own Routing engine and added MPLS features during the 3.x and 4.x phase, and then it all just stopped during the 5.x phase. That was over 7 years ago now!
Mikrotik’s sales are growing and they are focusing on the areas where they see growth, but that does not mean long term success.
This reminds me somewhat of Toyota thinking they could keep growing by making variations of the Corolla and Camry, so they stopped producing cars like the Celica and Supra, but what they did not realise was that while sales volumes for the Celica and Supra were low, they were the “hero” cars that were attracting buyers to the brand… The result, Toyota, from #1 to #6…
The Service Provider features like BGP, OSPF, MPLS, BNG (PPP/DHCP) are the “Hero” features of RouterOS…
Well, sometimes those changes are simply not accepted into kernel
2 years ago I had CCRs running in 3 locations. Now all CCRs have been replaced with debian+FRR boxes. Are much better (features, open source), and the price is ± the same.
The only mikrotik device I’m still using is a small CRS at home.
What it really boils down to is management decision to go where the money is. This is not unexpected or really all that surprising. Apple does the same thing. What’s troubling is that they are effectively alienating some of their fiercest advocates, service providers, in the same way Apple is alienating their professional customers. From where I stand, it’s a short-sighted and frustrating turn of events; especially since they aren’t really communicating this change in strategy to their customers (maybe in shareholder meetings, but I’m not privy to those).
I think what angers me the most is they aren’t willing to fess up and stop leading their service provider customers on with false hope of being able to deliver the features we need. I’m willing to be patient, to bend over backwards, but only if expectations are clearly communicated. If they can’t deliver, they should explain why, and set new expectations. It’s that simple. =/ Is that too much to ask?
That’s a fair point. It’s not a simple matter to get those changes accepted. But that begs the question: if they’re being denied, why? Maybe write better code? =)
Dear MikroTik team!
Can we have some info on v7 progress?
Like “Release possible this year” or like “Release can be in next few years roughly” or “Don’t even wait for it until 10-15 years”.
You know in which state your code is, right?
And we still do not have any info at all so year after year we wait it blindly.
Why to wait for something that none knows anything about it?
I’m more excited that they are hiring Android & iOS programmers as well as mobile application WEB application programmers. Some native management apps would be very nice.
https://darbs.mikrotik.com/darbs/
When they are ready they will release the newer RouterOS. Their new building is more conducive to their growing needs and should allow them to evolve to the needs of the industries they serve.
Unfortunately they are not seeking the persons they need the most: the security engineers.
waiting for three year la
It seems that releasing a complete RouterOS v7 is a very complex task.
What if Mikrotik publishes new release branches? Something like:
Legacy-v5 - Stable-v6 - Current-v6 - Daily-v6 - Current-v7 - Daily-v7
V7 can be published starting with a minimal set of features. Who needs the complete set can install v6-current, who needs v7 features (like ipv6 recursive next hop) but doesn’t need other things can optionally install v7.