Date: Wed, 29 Mar 2000 02:14:25 -0700 (MST) From: "Forrest W. Christian" <forrestc@iMach.com> To: Didier Derny <didier@omnix.net> Cc: Martin Cracauer <cracauer@cons.org>, freebsd-stable@FreeBSD.ORG Subject: Re: Let 3.x die ASAP? Message-ID: <Pine.BSF.4.21.0003290146040.18478-100000@workhorse.iMach.com> In-Reply-To: <Pine.BSF.3.96.1000329080220.7123A-100000@omnix.net>
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On Wed, 29 Mar 2000, Didier Derny wrote: > freebsd seems running version after version and not stability... > in 1999 (3.x) I was not so sure at all, no stability too many problems. hmmm.... # uptime 1:44AM up 46 days, 22:36, 1 user, load averages: 0.01, 0.02, 0.00 This is on a 3.4-STABLE box. Prior to the last reboot (which I made because I somehow had missed compiling the kernel with an appropriate # of users), it had been up since 12/21/1999 when I cvsup'd it last. Don't let the low load averages fool you - this box is handling around 3000 popmail/imap3 accounts - and 100,000 messages go through it every day (mostly client relay). I don't remember the last time a freebsd box crashed around here unless I had hardware going bad. > In 2000 it's getting worse, for me FreeBSD is not stable at all > the future of FreeBSD is not so clear, version follow after version but > I still have no support for my sound board, realplayer, oracle... > The clients are telling me to install Linux instead of FreeBSD (for > oracle)... Linux Oracle 8.0.5 purportedly runs great on FreeBSD 3.x. See: http://www.lf.net/lf/pi/oracle/install-linux-oracle-on-freebsd I can't vouch for sound card support. I gave up using sound cards in any unix a while back INCLUDING Linux and FreeBSD... although I might try a unix box on my desktop for mbone stuff again now that it seems to be more stable from what I hear. I will grant that Linux tends to support more obscure hardware than FreeBSD, although I have found that driver quality under Linux tends to be spotty. The key to this whole thing is that in a lot of (if not most) cases, FreeBSD (in my opinion) runs Linux binaries better than Linux. Turn on linux binary compatibility and then use linux stuff to your hearts content. I have had friends which I have been talking to about how freebsd is better than linux go to web conferences and hearing everyone else say "run everything on freebsd and use linux emulation where necessary". This seems to be the trend at big web sites. > I've just finished uprading the machines to 3.4-release and you are > telling me that there is no future for 3.X... The way I read the whole topic is more like "4.x works great, and is stable, and people need to move there, so why drag out the lifetime of 3.x". I don't recommend .0 releases at all for production work, but if it turns out that 4.1 is at least as stable as 3.4 or 3.5 I don't see why we'd need a 3.6 or 3.7 or so on. > I'm about to buy a smp machine but I see so many horror stories on > the mailling lists that I'm not sure at all that I should use a smp > machine (or install linux instead of FreeBSD)... Let me tell you my experience with SMP - stability depends on the hardware. I have used SMP on both FreeBSD and on NetWare and on NT, (actually more NT than the others) and I can say that some hardware just won't work reliably with SMP. I've seen Dell Multi-CPU boxes get the motherboard replaced THREE times before it stabilizes. I've also seen machines which just couldn't run it at all. I've seen hardware where NetWare blows up on but runs NT in multiprocessor mode fine. And vice versa. I'm curious as to what hardware you're having all these problems with. Are you overclocking? Is the airflow adequate? What type of drives/controllers are you using? etc.... I really wonder if you've got some weird hardware problem which is plaguing (sp?) you. - Forrest W. Christian (forrestc@imach.com) KD7EHZ ---------------------------------------------------------------------- iMach, Ltd., P.O. Box 5749, Helena, MT 59604 http://www.imach.com Solutions for your high-tech problems. (406)-442-6648 ---------------------------------------------------------------------- To Unsubscribe: send mail to majordomo@FreeBSD.org with "unsubscribe freebsd-stable" in the body of the message
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