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Newsgroups: comp.os.386bsd.questions Path: sserve!newshost.anu.edu.au!munnari.oz.au!news.Hawaii.Edu!ames!elroy.jpl.nasa.gov!decwrl!netcomsv!netcom.com!alm From: alm@netcom.com (Andrew Moore) Subject: Re: 386bsd, NetBSD, FreeBSD, Current... What's the deal? Message-ID: <almCDFKL3.Kso@netcom.com> Organization: Netcom Online Communications Services (408-241-9760 login: guest) References: <CDED1o.JsK@undergrad.math.uwaterloo.ca> <277dui$p13@homer.cs.mcgill.ca> Date: Thu, 16 Sep 1993 05:00:38 GMT Lines: 43 In article <277dui$p13@homer.cs.mcgill.ca> storm@cs.mcgill.ca (Marc WANDSCHNEIDER) writes: >Category 1. Dammit, I just want to see what a Unix looks like. I want it >to be easy to install, and let me just hit the highpoints. With the new FreeBSD install disks, installing BSD is as easy as it gets. You should know your disk geometry, but that's it. Badblock remapping is automated, installing alongside other OSes is transparent, partitioning is straightforward. In short just accept the defaults. Using the FreeBSD install disks to install NetBSD is a little more work, but it has been done. >--------------------- > >Category 2. I've seen Unix, I don't want to do kernel hacking, but I >need X, I want TeX, Emacs, and maybe the occasional telnet/SlIP/PPP access. Most of the big packages are available now in source form at least (with binaries soon to follow) FreeBSD. These include Xview 3.2, Emacs, TeX, elm, f2c, C News, etc. A lot of work has been done on FreeBSD's PPP and SLIP as well. >------------------ > >Category 3: OK Jaye, tell me something I don't know. I WANNA HACK. I wanna >get in to the guts of this thing, rip it to shreds, and port it to my >TI 99/4 in the process. Plus I want it to run my stereo. > > >I think NetBSD takes the prize here. An easily accessible current code base, >(sup is great), ports to several architectures in progress or done, >Terry's LKM (Loadable Kernel Modules) stuff is a godsend for serious hacking, I agree. NetBSD is doing some great kernel work. They also have YP client support which is missing in FreeBSD. >--------------------------- > >Category 4: Well, actually, I want to run my business with this stuff. > >Hands down, BSDI. If only for the tech support. I think it's in Except even Unix vendors use DOS :(