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Date:      Fri, 9 Mar 2001 09:20:03 +1000
From:      "Doug Young" <dougy@gargoyle.apana.org.au>
To:        "Peter" <fbsdq@yahoo.com>, <freebsd-newbies@FreeBSD.ORG>
Subject:   Re: About Unix
Message-ID:  <014e01c0a826$4f5a1060$0200a8c0@apana.org.au>
References:  <SAK.2001.03.08.bnehplin@support10>

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> Offtopic, but I'm just curios why do you never use FreeBSD as a
> workstation? Why use Solaris as a workstation instead of FreeBSD [I'm
> assuming you are talking Solaris x86], if not this question > /dev/null.

Simple .... I've occasionally waded through configuring X during setup of a
gateway
system & invariably had problems getting it to a usable state. Those that I
have had
working didn't impress me anyway ... all the important config items are
command line
things,  so for server use there is no advantage I'm aware of in having X..
In addition,
I've noticed that some of the security experts state that X is actually a
disadvantage
on a server.

I can't see any point in running FreeBSD on workstations ... there are few
"real world"
applications available, the linux compatibility is far from perfect, then
there is the printing
to "common or garden variety" inkjet issue, the fiddly XFree setup & the
amateurish
looking and horribly unstable KDE to contend with.   Ok so there are better
alternatives
than KDE (eg XFCE) but that only provides a halfway usable workaround to one
problem ... the others still remain. Now consider the Solaris x86
alternative ... the GUI is straightforward to configure & doesn't do weird
stuff, StarOffice works properly, printing
isn't a problem with ESP PrintPro, and more to the point it can be installed
in a regular
business office machine used by ordinary folk.

All that considered, FreeBSD does an extremely good job in its intended
capacity as a
server O/S ... it was never intended as a gaming or wordprocessor platform.



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