Date: 16 Nov 1999 03:50:56 +0200 From: Giorgos Keramidas <keramida@ceid.upatras.gr> To: toby@m1soft.com Cc: freebsd-questions@freebsd.org Subject: Re: comparisons Message-ID: <86k8njxkzj.fsf@localhost.hell.gr> In-Reply-To: <toby@m1soft.com>'s message of "Mon, 15 Nov 1999 17:11:23 GMT" References: <19991115.17112300@localhost.localdomain>
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<toby@m1soft.com> writes: > I am currently a Linux user, but I am also technically curious about > all operating systems, so I will soon by trying FreeBSD. Nice thinking. Just give it a try some day. > Other than for curiosity's sake, why should I give FreeBSD a try? Curiosity was enough for me. Of course, I am really very interested in anything Unix-like, so reading some articles on daemonnews was enough to convince me to give it a try. Being a slackware devotee for the past three years or so, it was easy for me to switch over to a FreeBSD-only setup. Most things were really making sense instantly; program pathnames, configuration files, the directory structure, etc. > What makes FreeBSD worth my while? A lot of things. First of all, it's Unix. That should be enough to make you at least try it. Second, it's got better performance under heavy load than Linux, which you're currently using. Performance means nothing if your machine is not a server for some enterprise, or it's a workstation whose load does not get that high with all those Emacsen and Netscapes running on it. Third, the license of FreeBSD which is really the one implementing the "no strings attached" ideal. The entire base system is distributed with a license which is really less restrictive than the GPL. But I fear that this last sentence will start another of those dreaded BSD vs. GPL monster threads. *sigh* > What does it do that Linux does not? Probably nothing, if we're talking about the application level. And if you're interested in drivers for that latest DVD player card, you'll probably be suprised that FreeBSD has even fewer drivers than Linux. Another area where Linux has more drivers is the ethernet adaptor clan, where Donald Becker has done an excellent job for the Linux folk. However, there are also things that are possible with FreeBSD and are currently very difficult to do with Linux. For instance with cvsup(1), you can download the sources to the entire FreeBSD base system, and compile the whole thing from scratch. To some (including me), this might seem a great advantage, i.e. to have the sources for *everything* that runs on your system. To others it's totally irrelevant. Your call to decide now. > What are its advantages vs. Linux? Better virtual memory management, which lets the machine work smoothly even if it's already started getting into swap area(s). I can still remember by surprise when I realized that with my few 32 Mb of memory, the system was almost constantly using around 10 Mb without me having noticed at all -- and that was many days after I finished with the installation of the system, because I didn't know "swapinfo" 'til then. > Can you tell me where any non-biased reviews exist? Non-biased, I think not. Because to do a comparison, you have to try both systems. However, most of those who have tried linux and then freebsd, have fallen in love with the later; that is, unless they tried only one linux distribution or they just bloody need those extra drivers that linux already has. So, you can only get a biased review :) -- Giorgos Keramidas, <keramida@ceid.upatras.gr> "What we have to learn to do, we learn by doing." [Aristotle] To Unsubscribe: send mail to majordomo@FreeBSD.org with "unsubscribe freebsd-questions" in the body of the message
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