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Date:      Wed, 28 Nov 2001 16:58:04 +0000
From:      John Ekins <jre@globalnet.co.uk>
Cc:        freebsd-questions@freebsd.org
Subject:   Re: freebsd as a desktop ?
Message-ID:  <3C05179C.97A65420@globalnet.co.uk>
References:  <006201c17815$d8960040$fd6e34c6@mlevy><86667vm1gd.fsf@pan.ehsrealtime.com><00da01c1781b$9b9f4100$0a00000a@atkielski.com> <86667vkk98.fsf@pan.ehsrealtime.com> <000401c1782a$730a29d0$0a00000a@atkielski.com>

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Anthony Atkielski wrote:
> 
> Your overall impressions of FreeBSD vs. Linux match mine, even though I have not
> bothered with Linux.

So your opinion, technical or otherwise on comparisons between FreeBSD and
Linux is not worth anything.

> Linux has been the target of enormous marketing and media
> hype,

Yes it has.

> but even a casual glance at the OS from a technical standpoint

Happily I don't tend to make decisions based on casual glances.

> makes one
> wonder why anyone would choose it over the other free versions of UNIX that are
> available. 
> The hype is the one and only reason for the success of the OS, IMO,
> and I wonder whether it will survive over the long term.

We've been using it here for several years, well before it was being
hyped.

> > Mainly it comes down to maturity. FreeBSD works
> > for me in the production world. We had _A LOT_ of
> > problems with Linux systems from 2.2.15 onwards
> > due to broken VM subsystems. The 2.4 kernel had
> > been very problematic for us due to things like
> > software raid problems in 2.4.0.

This suggests sticking to reliable versions unless you need to upgrade,
and if you do to test thoroughly.
 
> This confirms my own intuition with respect to Linux.

Intuition counts for nothing. 
 
> That has been exactly my impression since the beginning. 

Yes, lots more impression but no experience.

> It's ideal for people
> who like to tinker with the OS without ever doing any productive work,

Hmm, we have nearly two hundred Linux machines in service. We're a
commercial company so I guess they're not toy boxes.

> and
> certainly without ever having a need for high-uptime production use. 

Some of our uptimes have wrapped past 497 days...

> It also
> appeals to people who had never heard the word "UNIX" prior to encountering some
> of the hype around Linux.

Well it's a good introduction to "Unix" in general if you can't get a real
"Unix". 

> Since I don't like to tinker with an OS (particularly just to get it to work),
> and since I knew what UNIX was several decades ago, Linux seems to me like a
> useless toy that appeals to the clueless.

More of the words "seems"... Why don't you go and get some experience?
 
> > Oh, and just in case anyone thinks I'm biased,
> > I attained my RHCE as an exam only candidate.
> 
> Certifications are just a gravy train for vendors, IMO and IMX.  It seems
> particularly odd to award certifications on an operating system that doesn't
> seem to be stable for more than a few days at a time.

You have no experience of this, Anthony, as you keep telling us... It just
"seems" like that to you.

Cheers,
John.

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