Linux v.x. FreeBSD

[technologic101]

Anyone know how much different of FreeBSD from Linux? I've been using Linux for over 5 years, but am now trying to switch to FreeBSD because of its advantages over Linux.

I'm getting my own dedicated server and look into freebsd. appreciate your advice. thank you.,

 

[alt_ctrl_del]

Linux is an offshoot of Minix, which is an offshoot of the Unixes of the late 80's-early 90's. It's true to oldschool Unix in lots of ways, but the BSDs are much more faithful to the originals from way back in the day. Binary support is completely different (of course as in a linux binary won't work for BSD), as well as many filesystem/directory structure parts. But they're still very similar. Linux is complicated, yes, but some distros are a little bit simpler than, say, tooling with OpenBSD. If I'm wrong at all, anyone feel free to correct me

 

[furtivefelon]

linux is NOT a offshoot of unix.. and omg, Minix is in design before unix is ever conceived.. unix is produced because they think minix too complex (read some more history before posting please?)

linux is designed by linus to be "like" unix, whatever that meant, it based on no unix code.. though, current kernel has alot of freebsd copyright notices..

freebsd is based on berkeley unix.. so it's a true unix, and linux is just trying to imitate unix.. a good way to think about it is, bsd is made by unix hacker to be unix, and linux is made by windows hacker to be like unix.

there are several fundamental differences, freebsd community is violently hostile to new distros, as they think it distracts from the main branch.. there is a new distro of freebsd that's supposedly more userfriendly, PCBsd, but if you search on bsdforums.org, you'll see the typical attitudes of freebsd community

also, there are differences in naming conventions, and various other stuff different enough to make your heads spin... it's used mainly for servers, and because there is so few distros, each one is very very stable, more so than linux..

it supports less hardware, but most hardware can be made to work if tinkered enough, with some luck, you'll make freebsd work just fine

it also runs 80% of linux binary without much problems.. (it runs because it has linux compatibility layer on freebsd, it'll as u if you want to install it at the beginning.. please, you should really check some of your facts :|)

freebsd is the closest you'll get to a modern unix

 

[alt_ctrl_del]

Funny how you should correct me so harshly, wiki says Linux was a project by Linus to make a unix-like system that was based off Minix. The very first versions even required Minix to run.

Check the Minix page at wiki as well, and it will also tell you that Minix was a Unix-like system.

I also was aware of the Linux-compatibility layer, I simply left it out, because there is a somewhat small chance anyone will need to emulate a Linux program, when they can simply compile sources themselves, or get a ports version.

BSD is also a Unix-LIKE system, just like the other "offshoots", as when it was released to the public, there were some licensing issues, so parts from the TRUE BSD unix were removed or replaced. It was then rereleased as the BSD's we know today.

Who is correct here?

 

[macdude425]

Funny how you should correct me so harshly, wiki says Linux was a project by Linus to make a unix-like system that was based off Minix. The very first versions even required Minix to run.

Gee, that's funny. As I read it, Torvalds wanted something like Minix, not something based on Minix. That's a whole different ball of wax.

Plus, where did you see that early versions of Linux required Minix to run? I may just have missed it, but I read that article three times and saw nothing like that.

 

[alt_ctrl_del]

In the original post where Linus introduced the beginnings of Linux to usenet, he notes that Minix is required to run it.

ALERT! WARNING! NOTE! These sources still need minix-386 to be compiled
(and gcc-1.40, possibly 1.37.1, haven't tested), and you need minix to
set it up if you want to run it, so it is not yet a standalone system
for those of you without minix. I'm working on it.

http://groups-beta.google.com/group/comp.os.minix/msg/2194d253268b0a1b

You seem to be right on the "look-alike" issue, though I took it more of a base on minix rather than a "-like" system.

 

[alt_ctrl_del]

Naw,all that means is at that point he hadnt built an entire toolchain and filesystem for a standalone system.Once you have a standalone system linux like any other POSIX compliant system can be used to build another distro or even clone itself.

Ahh, I see, I didn't even think of that, I thought he meant it was something applied on top of minix and then it was made its own kernel in time.

 

[furtivefelon]

bsd kernel developer do their best to keep gpl code out of there.. of course, there are plenty of gpl code in a typical installation.. but kernel developers wants people to use the kernel under bsd style licence instead of gpl

alt_ctrl_del: i'm sorry about the harshness as apparent in my wording.. though, i do think you got alot of the facts wrong in your first post.. i'm sorry again if you were offended..

 

[furtivefelon]

http://www.freebsdforums.com/forums/showthread.php?s=&threadid=12811&highlight=My+FreeBSD+Comparison

i just found this nice thread at www.bsdforums.org

 

[alt_ctrl_del]

Now that you think about it, horndude, that's something that's way too obvious to not have been thought of to begin with. That's insight right there.