From owner-freebsd-questions@FreeBSD.ORG Fri Dec 5 08:34:57 2003 Return-Path: Delivered-To: freebsd-questions@freebsd.org Received: from mx1.FreeBSD.org (mx1.freebsd.org [216.136.204.125]) by hub.freebsd.org (Postfix) with ESMTP id 41D8416A4CE for ; Fri, 5 Dec 2003 08:34:57 -0800 (PST) Received: from mintaka.emea.mci.com (mintaka.wcom.co.uk [193.131.254.155]) by mx1.FreeBSD.org (Postfix) with ESMTP id 9891043FF2 for ; Fri, 5 Dec 2003 08:34:45 -0800 (PST) (envelope-from philip.payne@uk.mci.com) Received: from sirius.emea.mci.com ([166.59.189.29] helo=sirus.emea.mci.com) by mintaka.emea.mci.com with esmtp (Exim 4.20) id 1ASIuh-00017N-1A for freebsd-questions@freebsd.org; Fri, 05 Dec 2003 16:34:43 +0000 Received: from ocampa.wcom.co.uk ([166.59.189.250] helo=ocampa.emea.mci.com) by sirus.emea.mci.com with esmtp (Exim 4.12) id 1ASIuP-0006z0-00; Fri, 05 Dec 2003 16:34:25 +0000 Received: from [170.127.79.25] (helo=gblon1exch06.uk.mcilink.com) by ocampa.emea.mci.com with esmtp (Exim 4.14) id 1ASIuP-0003sL-AC; Fri, 05 Dec 2003 16:34:25 +0000 Received: by gblon1exch06.uk.mcilink.com with Internet Mail Service (5.5.2653.19) id ; Fri, 5 Dec 2003 16:34:14 -0000 Message-ID: From: Philip Payne To: Payne , freebsd-questions Date: Fri, 5 Dec 2003 16:34:12 -0000 MIME-Version: 1.0 X-Mailer: Internet Mail Service (5.5.2653.19) Content-Type: text/plain; charset="iso-8859-1" X-Spam-Score: 0.0 (/) X-Scanner: exiscan for exim4 (http://duncanthrax.net/exiscan/) *1ASIuP-0006z0-00*3.dwdh72rjc* Subject: RE: FreeBSD Version... X-BeenThere: freebsd-questions@freebsd.org X-Mailman-Version: 2.1.1 Precedence: list List-Id: User questions List-Unsubscribe: , List-Archive: List-Post: List-Help: List-Subscribe: , X-List-Received-Date: Fri, 05 Dec 2003 16:34:57 -0000 > Hi, > > I am wondering why there was 4.9 release if the newest one it > 5.1. Whick > is better I am currently on 5.1. It's a little confusing. > Well there be > a 4.10 and 5.2 release at the same time? > A lot of people are going to give you an RTFM style response back to the install instructions on www.freebsd.org to this question but to be a little more helpful: FreeBSD is released with two trains of code. STABLE and CURRENT. CURRENT as the name suggests has cutting edge code and aspects of it will be untested in the wider user community. 5.1 is the latest release in the CURRENT train. STABLE as the name suggests is stable code that has been widely used and should be bug free (as far as this is possible with software). 4.9 is the latest release in the STABLE train. If you want cutting edge, install current and be aware of the caveats of using it. If you have a production server install stable. At some point in the future I'm assuming there will be a 5.X release as part of the STABLE train. Me personally, I've always stuck with stable and appreciate it for that. The only time I've had a stability problem with the stable code is when using the NVIDIA driver, which naturally can't be attributed to the BSD code itself. PS: Great name Ta, Phil Payne.