Date: Sun, 21 Feb 1999 08:52:30 -0500 From: Graeme Tait <graeme@echidna.com> To: freebsd-questions@freebsd.org Subject: Re: FreeBSD vs. Linux (was: a couple ?'s) Message-ID: <36D00F9E.428B@echidna.com> References: <19990221070639.23601.rocketmail@send104.yahoomail.com> <19990221022122.A4170@drwho.xnet.com> <19990221205121.O93492@lemis.com>
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Greg Lehey wrote: > > On Sunday, 21 February 1999 at 2:21:22 -0600, Michael Mad Max Maxwell wrote: > > God, I hate BSD vs. Linux questions... > >> 3) How does it compare to Linux in the field of stability and > >> reliability? Well, anyone wanting to set up a server (to take one of the FreeBSD strong points) might want to know the answer to these and other questions. I had to do this with minimal UNIX knowledge about 6 months ago, and chose FreeBSD, which was certainly a good, if not the ideal choice then. However, a question for me now that I understand a bit more is, will Linux perhaps be a better choice than FreeBSD in the future? Here are some reasons why it might be, or which might influence a future decision: (1) Secure web server support For use in the US, SSLeay is not legal without a RSA license, and licenses for individual commmercial use are effectively not available from RSA. For FreeBSD, you must buy a commercial product that includes RSA licensing. Stronghold (an independent SSL implementation) is $1000, Raven (based on SSLeay) is $357. That's per server box. Enter Linux, with Red Hat now offering SSLeay with RSA licensing (single server) in a packaged distribution at about $50. Why can't FreeBSD (Walnut Creek say) do this? (2) High-end database support I've lost track of posts on Oracle support in Linux and FreeBSD, but I gather this is likely to come for Linux, but what support might be available for FreeBSD I'm not clear on. This could be an important consideration in the future - even just knowing the future plans could influence a decision on OS. (3) Technical Support If I have to pay for technical support, it rather ruins the effect for a free OS. I've noticed that several technical questions important to me have gone effectively unanswered on the FreeBSD lists. I have no idea if Linux groups or vendors might be better in this regard, or how the cost of paid support compares, but it's something I would want to know more about for future decisions. (4) Saleable skills Installed base per se doesn't matter to me when I choose an OS for my own server. But if I want to do work in the outside world, being familiar with Linux might be a big plus, especially as the Linux market share increases. These are "real-world" practical issues rather than matters of outright performance. The latter certainly does count, but it's not the only consideration. -- Graeme Tait - Echidna To Unsubscribe: send mail to majordomo@FreeBSD.org with "unsubscribe freebsd-questions" in the body of the message
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