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Date:      Sun, 15 Oct 2006 20:06:39 -0500
From:      Paul Schmehl <pauls@utdallas.edu>
To:        freebsd-questions@freebsd.org
Subject:   Re: What's so compelling about FreeBSD?
Message-ID:  <DA244748E48EE7B917AB05F2@paul-schmehls-powerbook59.local>
In-Reply-To: <af8b40ce0610151526h6aba1785mb77eb2a76e69fdfa@mail.gmail.com>
References:  <af8b40ce0610151526h6aba1785mb77eb2a76e69fdfa@mail.gmail.com>

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--On October 15, 2006 3:26:02 PM -0700 William Tracy=20
<afishionado@gmail.com> wrote:
>
> So, basically, I'm asking you guys to wow me. :-) Show me how FreeBSD
> can outdo Linux. Make me never want to go back.
>
Well, let's see.  As a server, I have worked with Windows, Solaris,=20
Gentoo, RedHat, Fedora, CentOS, Slackware, OpenBSD and FreeBSD.  All my=20
servers are FreeBSD now, except for the ones that require Windows and=20
don't give me an otpion.

That should tell you something.

Features that I like that I consider better than other *nixes:
1) The install - the install is simple and easy to follow.  Furthermore,=20
you can run the installer any time you want by running sysinstall,=20
something that often requires inserting a CD (or copying the CD to the=20
hard drive) on other OSes.
2) The OS - it has all the tools you need without any of the bloat.  Yes,=20
it requires that you actually learn Unix, but that's not a bad thing.=20
Built-in perl.  Built-in tcpdump.
3) The kernel.  I've done kernel rebuilds on Linux.  Trust me, freebsd is=20
much easier.  make buildkernel, make buildworld, make installkernel,=20
reboot, run mergemaster, make installworld, run mergemaster again.  And I=20
can do it in an ssh session without having to worry about running to the=20
console.
4) The ports system.  I have at my fingertips everything I need to install =

anything I need.  And if it's not there, just ask.  Someone will create=20
the port.  Complex apps that require the installation of a number of items =

(dependencies) are often so daunting that people don't even want to tackle =

them.  In FreeBSD, the port does all of that for you.

What's left?  Oh - performance.  FreeBSD just works.  I've never had a=20
crash.  I've never had sluggish performance.

Paul Schmehl (pauls@utdallas.edu)
Adjunct Information Security Officer
The University of Texas at Dallas
http://www.utdallas.edu/ir/security/

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