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Xref: sserve comp.os.386bsd.questions:13375 comp.os.386bsd.misc:3529 Path: sserve!newshost.anu.edu.au!harbinger.cc.monash.edu.au!bunyip.cc.uq.oz.au!munnari.oz.au!news.Hawaii.Edu!ames!agate!howland.reston.ans.net!vixen.cso.uiuc.edu!uxa.cso.uiuc.edu!rkb55989 From: rkb55989@uxa.cso.uiuc.edu (Rafal Boni) Newsgroups: comp.os.386bsd.questions,comp.os.386bsd.misc Subject: Re: FreeBSD vs NetBSD Date: 15 Sep 1994 14:48:37 GMT Organization: University of Illinois at Urbana Lines: 86 Message-ID: <359ms5$94c@vixen.cso.uiuc.edu> References: <358o3g$p95@umd5.umd.edu> NNTP-Posting-Host: uxa.cso.uiuc.edu adhir@bigdipper.umd.edu (Alok K. Dhir) writes: >I hate to ask this question, but I really need to make a decision on a Free >unix soon. I am currently running FreeBSD 1.1.5.1, and am happy overall. >I understand that NetBSD 1.0 will soon be released. I am curious as to >the advantages of one over the other. Do they match one another feature >for feature? What is NetBSD based on, BSD 4.3 or 4.4/lite? NetBSD is more platform-neutral [to be PC about it], or at least has more platforms under it's wing. It's based on 4.4/lite with lots and lots of local changes [many being bug fixes]. Features should be relatively similar. >I have found compiling things for FreeBSD is sometimes a bit of a chore >(as compared to Linux and NeXTStep, which I also run), especially >since there is usually not a default config for it (for example, with >gcc, pine, and misc others). Is netbsd in the same boat? Compiling for NeXT is easy?? I think NetXT is still on my "shit list" of machines to port to. I don't know about pine, but recent versions of GCC [and even not so recent ones] should have a NetBSD/ FreeBSD default config... 2.3.3 had a good enough one to build on 386bsd 0.1, so I'm sure things have not regressed. Can't speak for pine, but I have ~ 80 Meg of source in /usr/local/src and it took no more than maybe one small fix per package to get it working [and usually those were of the "need to add -l<something> to link like"]. This includes a whole bunch of X stuff, MH, tcsh, and so on an so forth... I have to admit that sometimes porting Linux specific stuff can be a pain, but... Besides with the advent of 4.4, most things can be compiled as "bsd44" and you're home free... [...] >The machines are ASUS 486/66 motherboards with ATI Graphics Ultra Pro PCI >2mb graphics boards and onboard PCI SCSI. I have purchased SMC Ultra 16T >NICs for use with these machines. As far as I know, FreeBSD supports >this configuration (has NCR PCI drivers, and supports the BB2016 multi- >port serial card). Does NetBSD have support for my hardware configuration >as well (if it doesn't, my decision is easy ;-). NetBSD will support the NCR PCI, the SMC, and I am almost 100% sure the BB2016 [although I have only cheap serial cards, so I can't vouch for it personally]. >FreeBSD 2.0 is just around the corner as well (perhaps not as close as >NetBSD), but I need things up and running in the next month or so. Are >there any compelling reasons to wait to FreeBSD 2.0 instead of using NetBSD >1.0 when its released? I wouldn't think so... As the versions increase, both systems should be converging on many aspects because of the 4.4 influence [at least as far as programming interfaces go], so that isn't a factor. And I really don't see FreeBSD as having that much richer of a feature set that NetBSD. If you need it RSN, get the impending NetBSD release. [Note: I use 1.0_BETA, and don't speak for the FreeBSD OR NetBSD teams] >I am not including Linux because its networking code has proven to be >extrememly unreliable in my experience (used it up to 1.1.45), and because >Linux vs *BSD seems to be somewhat of a religious issue... FreeBSD and >NetBSD people seem to have a mutual respect for one another which is a >pleasant change from the usual "this vs that" situations. Well, as far as Linux goes it's a nifty think, but I've also had a good deal of problems with the several Linux machines coworkers are running at work [just lots of random things that I don't have time to try and fix]. As for NetBSD<->FreeBSD mutual respect, it comes and goes, but they are two great systems... >Last question - where are the NetBSD mailing lists? majordomo@netbsd.org [send "help" in body of mail] >Thanks for any comments. --rafal /--------------------------------------------------------------------------\ |"Blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit | Rafal Boni | | 15% of the earth, which is 100% more than they | r-boni@uiuc.edu | | have now..." -Cartoon caption in New Yorker | My opinions, not UIUC's | \--------------------------------------------------------------------------/