Date: Thu, 27 Jun 2002 00:12:26 -0400 From: Brian T.Schellenberger <bts@babbleon.org> To: Paul Everlund <tdv94ped@cs.umu.se>, David Kramer <david@thekramers.net> Cc: "Roger 'Rocky' Vetterberg" <listsub@rambo.simx.org>, <freebsd-questions@FreeBSD.ORG> Subject: Re: FreeBSD, Linux or Solaris Message-ID: <20020627041226.0247ABA05@i8k.babbleon.org> In-Reply-To: <Pine.GSO.4.44.0206261551040.8545-100000@gren.cs.umu.se> References: <Pine.GSO.4.44.0206261551040.8545-100000@gren.cs.umu.se>
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On Wednesday 26 June 2002 09:59 am, Paul Everlund wrote:
| On Wed, 26 Jun 2002, David Kramer wrote:
| > I have to go through the collection of ports and make sure everything I
| > need is there, but I'm sure it is. BTW, is there a way to check what
| > software is installed on your box? Is there an automated way of
| > uninstalling ports? I couldn't find this info on freebsd.org.
|
| There are pros and cons to the ports system. I personally think there's
| more good than bad. I'm not sure, but maybe there's a utility in the
| ports hierarchy that can deal with rpm's?
Red Hat's "rpm" command, which runs just fine under FreeBSD if you enable
Linux compatibilty works nicely:
% /usr/compat/linux/bin/rpm
RPM version 3.0.3
Copyright (C) 1998 - Red Hat Software
This may be freely redistributed under the terms of the GNU GPL
The fact the FreeBSD gives you all the advantages of FreeBSD *and* it runs
Linux software seems like the choice between Linux and FreeBSD is easy
*unless* you need to run hardware that Linux supports and FreeBSD doesn't.
But in this case, starting from scratch, I'd say that FreeBSD is the clear
choice. Lots more hardware options that Sun, though not quite so many as
Linux. Fewer licensing encumberments than either. Very wide software
choice. Generally, only programs that modify the kernel under Linux will
fail to work under Linux compatibility mode, and those are very rare.
(Win4Lin is the only one I know of off-hand.)
Since you don't have existing hardware to worry about, just make sure that
what you get will work with FreeBSD--there are only three really good
arguments I can think of in favor of Linux, and none apply here:
1) Hardware. Since you don't have the hardware yet, this is a non-issue.
Just be careful when you do get it. Avoid nvidia.
2) Window-friendliness. Linux "plays nice" with the Windows extended
partition scheme and FreeBSD does not; also, programs like Partition Magic
work better with Linux. But since you plan to have a dedicated Unixy machine
(I assume, since Sun is on the table), this is a non-issue.
3) User friendliess. Many Linux distributions are so use friendly that you
only need to see a GUI; some so "friendly" that you can't find the *#$!
config files to save your skin. But if you are considering Sun, you really
want Unix, you aren't just a PC user who's gotten to resent Mr Gates, so this
is also presumably a non-issue.
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--
Brian T. Schellenberger . . . . . . . bts@wnt.sas.com (work)
Brian, the man from Babble-On . . . . bts@babbleon.org (personal)
http://www.babbleon.org
http://www.eff.org http://www.programming-freedom.org
If you smell the smoke you don't need to be told what you've got to do;
Yet there's a certain breed, so very in-between, they'd rather take a
vote. -- DEVO -- Here To Go
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