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From: brantk@atlas.com (Brant Katkansky)
Subject: Re: Impressions: FreeBSD vs Linux
Message-ID: <1994Mar28.120648.5899@atlas.com>
Organization: Atlas Telecom Inc.
References: <1994Mar18.084355.19503@atlas.com> <CMzw69.92K@tower.nullnet.fi> <Cn1yJz.LHI@hippo.ru.ac.za>
Date: Mon, 28 Mar 1994 12:06:48 GMT
Lines: 42
In article <Cn1yJz.LHI@hippo.ru.ac.za> csgr@cs.ru.ac.za writes:
>In <CMzw69.92K@tower.nullnet.fi> elandal@tower.nullnet.fi (Ismo Peltonen) writes:
>
>>What do people mean with this (`looks and feels like a beta/not finished')?
>>What in Linux makes that unfinished look'n'feel?
>
>>(The thing I most would like to see now is different keymaps/fonts on
>> different multiscreens, but I can well live without. If nothing comes
>> out, I'll probably hack something that satisfies me.)
>
>>I have yet to try new things with linux (I have hard time trying to keep
>>up with updates - last time I got route-binary I noticed I'd better
>>update my libs, which lead to downloading about 7 megs, some installing,
>>some compiling, and cursing for not to having yet changed my system to
>>conform to FSSTND), but whatever I've compiled has been fairly easy. Of
>>course having had Xenix before might have some influence in that
>>(anything on Xenix was a major headache).
>
>In my opinion, one of the big advantages of FreeBSD (and NetBSD) is the
>availability of a complete (controlled) source tree for the operating
>system. (A tree that can be found in one place, and which can be
>installed easily.) All that needs to be done to install new stuff is
>a "make world". (As far as I can gather there is no complete
>maintained source tree for Linux.)
>
That's one point I was referring to. Although a lot of the complaints I have about
Linux are not Linux problems per se, but problems with the distribution. It seems
that the desinger couldn't decide whether to put stuff in /usr or /var, among
other things. This results in a lot of symlinks which, to me, does not appear
like a "finished product". Lack of a unified source tree was a major headache.
Don't get me wrong. I like Linux, and I like it a lot. I think within a year,
it'll get better and more consistant. At the present time, though, I think I
am leaning towards FreeBSD. It does lack some of the bells and whistles that
Linux has, but I can live with that.`
--
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