Date: Fri, 8 Sep 1995 16:12:39 -0400 (EDT) From: Chuck Robey <chuckr@Glue.umd.edu> To: GREG CASTELLUCCI <gyc@ftdetrck-ose1.army.mil> Cc: questions@FreeBSD.org Subject: Re: Advice Message-ID: <Pine.SUN.3.91.950908155828.6345J-100000@cappuccino.eng.umd.edu> In-Reply-To: <199509081925.PAA16129@ftdetrck-ose1.army.mil>
next in thread | previous in thread | raw e-mail | index | archive | help
On Fri, 8 Sep 1995, GREG CASTELLUCCI wrote: > Folks, > I am a fairly new Unix Buff looking to turn my 486 33 PC into a Unix device/host > What I am doing is trying to find out which Unix platform to go with Linux or > FreeBSD. I have solid experience with the System V Unix administration & build > and basically would like to widen my Unix knowledge to BSD and PC based systems. > I am mainly concerned with all aspects incl. TCP/IP capablilities such as SMTP, > World Wide Web Server, telnet, ftp, and LPR/LPD. Also looking for the best > X-Windows and all around good documentation. My question is twofold, 1) > which one of these platforms should I go with, and 2) How can I find good > supporting documentation for them ? Can someone point me in the right > direction. Thank you in advance for any advice you can give me. This is pure flame bait, but I'll give some pointers. Realize you've asked here an audience that's interested in FreeBSD, so take it with a grain of salt. FreeBSD is generally credited with having superior network code, I don't guess anyone would argue with that, who's done any reading. Linux has a _huge_ user base, and that means you might be more likely to have a next door neighbor who can help you. That would be especailly important to newbies, but from your post, I can't tell, you say you are new, but that you have good SYSV experience, one seems to contradict the other. The XFree86 distribution is the base for both the Linux and the FreeBSD X bases, so no difference there. Our tech support, via email, isn't second best to anyone's. A feature of FreeBSD, our ports collection, make building applications incredibly simple, and the collection is _huge_. On the other hand, Linux seems to have a larger base of software written specifically for it. Maybe more commercial applications, altho we are getting compatibility for that, even as I type this (mostly in place or in test). Linux's filesystem might be somewhat faster. FreeBSD's filesystem code has taken a deliberate move toward extra safety at some loss in speed. I can shut my machine off right now, and be much less likely to suffer any filesystem damage at all. Ask a Linux user about lost files from power outages. I've lost one file in 18 months (hardware problem). All in all, the differences aren't large, and anyone who tells you that one is MUCH better than the other is either misinformed or untrustworthy. The differences are more in style than anything else. ----------------------------+----------------------------------------------- Chuck Robey | Interests include any kind of voice or data chuckr@eng.umd.edu | communications topic, C programming, and Unix. 9120 Edmonston Ct #302 | Greenbelt, MD 20770 | I run Journey2 and n3lxx, both FreeBSD (301) 220-2114 | version 2.2 current -- and great FUN! ----------------------------+-----------------------------------------------
Want to link to this message? Use this URL: <https://mail-archive.FreeBSD.org/cgi/mid.cgi?Pine.SUN.3.91.950908155828.6345J-100000>