Resaon to change from Linun to bsd

[jpaulb]

Without starting a flame.
I have been reading that Linux is become buggier every day and that BSD is more stable.
Having a choice between Linux & BSD which is the more stabler way to go. If BSD which flavour Free or net?

[uteck]

I haven't noticed any loss of stability. From the few stories I read, there seems to be some bugs creeping into newer kernels as new features are added, but so far nothing major. Perhaps it is getting to the point were a 2.7 dev branch needs to be started?

[fos]

I read an article recently that Intel has changed the graphics handling in their newer graphics chips and the device drivers that drive them. Linux has yet to solve all of the problems associated with the new chips and drivers. If you don't have the latest Intel hardware or the latest kernels, it should not be a problem.

If you want stability, consider Debian, CentOS, and Slackware.

Maybe Daniel can provide advice on the BSD versions. I know they are generally rock solid in the server environment.

Jeff

[uteck]

I just saw these stories;
http://arstechnica.com/open-source/news/2009/08/linux-dev-community-is-growing-5-patches-accepted-per-hour.ars
http://www.theregister.co.uk/2009/08/19/linux_development_report/

I think the doom and gloom of the Linux kernel is being exaggerated. But if you are looking for a reason to try BSD, then just grab one and try it.

[jpaulb]

If you want stability, consider Debian, CentOS, and Slackware.


Jeff
I am running Debian Testing at the present time.

I thought I posted this before, must be getting senile:eek:

[fos]

I probably had a senior moment. :confused:

[jpaulb]

I am basically curious, I have seen on a few newsgroups claiming that BSD was the next thing. None of these groups were actually OS oriented. So it wasn't like my OS is better than your OS forum.

Changing to another OS is not that high on my priority list, unless Linus starts wearing a Windoze 8 Tee shirt:biggrin:

[Leon]

I've tried FreeBSD and find it is very hostile to other types of partitions on the same drive. I've read the documentation, but every time I install a Linux behind the first partition - BSD - with its GRUB in the super block rather than the MBR, BSD's bootloader fails and just hangs.

[danieldk]

I am basically curious, I have seen on a few newsgroups claiming that BSD was the next thing. None of these groups were actually OS oriented. So it wasn't like my OS is better than your OS forum.

Actually it's true (my previous reaction got lost). MacOS X has a considerable marketshare (some say nearly 10% on the desktop), and its kernel and userland are based on FreeBSD and NetBSD.

These days one can also run OS X on non-Apple hardware. If you select your hardware a bit carefully, you can boot OS X retail disks with boot-132 based bootloaders.

Unfortunately, the free BSDs are not faring so well, with exception of FreeBSD.

[danieldk]

By the way, I think PC-BSD should also be mentioned in this thread. It is a user-friendly BSD that provides nice configuration tools ans a package manager for stand-alone packages. It's FreeBSD underneath, so you can still dive into the underlying UNIX system.

http://www.pcbsd.org/

[danieldk]

Did anyone try PC-BSD as of recently? They seem to be making good progress...

[RedAlpha3]

I've tried PC-BSD recently. It seems to run very well. It uses a package system that reminds me of the system that was used in Lindows/Linspire. It seems like an add-on. Not knowing anything about BSD and wishing to learn, I have installed DesktopBSD. This installs well and uses the more traditional packaging. Most of the BSD setup is familiar (from a linux point of view) and I like the idea that it is secure. Both of these variations of unix are easier to install and I can see merit in them both.

[RedAlpha3]

It appears that the present release of DesktopBSD is to be the last. A shame really as it has helped me get to grips with BSD without any difficulties.

[danieldk]

It's a shame. But on the other hand, it's also a small pond, and in that respect it's good that PC-BSD gets full attention.