Date: Thu, 06 Jan 2000 01:39:29 GMT From: Salvo Bartolotta <bartequi@nojunk.com> To: freebsd-questions@FreeBSD.ORG Subject: Re: Not enough information Message-ID: <20000106.1392900@bartequi.ottodomain.org> References: <Pine.BSF.3.96.1000105165841.24564A-100000@inbox.org>
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Dear Mr K, just my 0.02 Euro to the pot. IMO,FreeBSD is less popular because it is more flexible than most Oses, AFAIK,and therefore (initially) more difficult to use. But this is exactly the reason why I have chosen it as my favorite system over, say, Linux. I like its neat, coherent, rational design. I am satisfied with it as a desktop environment, albeit there are fewer drivers. This is not FreeBSD's culpa, however. I can do almost anything with FreeBSD, in a way not generally possible with other Oses. In my box, I have Windows 95 & NT 4 (compatibility towards the barbarian world only, *NO* upgrade planned), BeOS, R.H. Linux 6.1 and FreeBSD 3.3-RELEASE. Lately, I have been using FreeBSD to an addictive degree. Consider the following: 1) compiling kernels: FreeBSD vs. Linux; 2) kernel, userland and ports organization in FreeBSD as opposed to the fragmented, incoherent organization in Linux; 3) FreeBSD stability; 4) (flame bait ;-) FreeBSD is a high-quality OS, designed by some of the brightest Computer Scientists in the world. BTW, you should read a little Unix history. Ex nihilo nihil fit :-) N.B. strictly speaking, Linux is NOT Unix. I sometimes run FreeBSD as four users, each having a different European locale and performing demanding tasks (384 MB RAM on my home box). I "squeeze", as it were, my home box. FreeBSD handles all this seamlessly. No reboot needed. No BSODs. In the worst cases, a kill or killall command ;-)) Try the alternatives ... Windows has more drivers: well, you will also find out the unpleasant truth about this on the Net. Microsoft has stood trial for "mafia" attitude in the market,right ? There is an interesting story on a guy who tried to buy a Toshiba laptop *withouth* Microsoft Windows 98 installed on it, did you know ? That link has been posted in this mailing list, too. Please retrieve it and have a look at the story. If vendors do NOT release their specs, well, once again, this is not FreeBSD's culpa. Do you know the nature and kind of certain "agreements" between hardware and software vendors ? If you browsed the FreeBSD site carefully, you would find more resources: e.g. "Introduction to Unix", "A Comprehensive Guide to FreeBSd" (in plain English), a section "for the lazy and hopeless" etc. Have you had a look at Grog's "The Complete FreeBSD" ? Incidentally, Unix *IS* an academic subject, with an *extensive* literature. Inter alia, it is important in OS theory. Have you had a look at that kind of books ? Finally, consider the following "linguistic" simile. If you want to fully express your thoughts in a foreign language, you have to master it. Mastering a foreign language *is* difficult. Of course, you can stick to "conversation manuals" (e.g. to M$-Windows), but you will significantly limit yourself. Got the idea ? *Flexibility* *implies* *learning*. Period. Best regards, Salvo N.B. Myjokingdomain =3D=3D=3D> neomedia.it to e-mail to me. ******************************* * * * Windows: brain-dead limits * * BeOS: limited apps * * Linux: unlimited (mindset) * * FreeBSD: no limits * * * ******************************* >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> Original Message <<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<< On 1/5/00, 11:06:58 PM, "Mr. K." <bsd@inbox.org> wrote regarding Re: Not= enough information: > > I am a new Linux user and always listen to others saying that FreeBS= D > is better and faster plus many large and well-known companies use > FreeBSD. If that is so... Why is Linux so much more popular? Why does not > exist enough (if any) documentation on FreeBSD? How can FreeBSD be so > much poor? > Personally I consider Linux better for home desktop use, and FreeBSD > better for server use. The drivers come out much faster for Linux, > with much more support. This would explain why linux is more popular > (there are more home users than server farmers). I also consider Windows > better than Linux and FreeBSD for home desktop use (donning my flame > retardant suit). When I'm at home, I like to watch DVDs. I don't > want to dual boot, and I don't want to wait around a year for someone > to reverse engineer a DVD decryptor. Driver support is better for > Windows than for FreeBSD and Linux combined. That would explain why > Windows is way more popular than both of them, and will continue to be. > Is FreeBSD better? Yes, for some things. Is Windows? Yes, for other= > things. Is Linux? Well, maybe, but not for anything I want to do :).= > To Unsubscribe: send mail to majordomo@FreeBSD.org > with "unsubscribe freebsd-questions" in the body of the message To Unsubscribe: send mail to majordomo@FreeBSD.org with "unsubscribe freebsd-questions" in the body of the message
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