*BSD News Article 62349


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From: doolitt@recycle.cebaf.gov (Larry Doolittle)
Newsgroups: comp.unix.bsd.freebsd.misc,comp.os.linux.development.system
Subject: Re: The better (more suitable)Unix?? FreeBSD or Linux
Followup-To: comp.unix.bsd.freebsd.misc,comp.os.linux.development.system
Date: 17 Feb 1996 18:11:14 GMT
Organization: CEBAF
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Terry Lambert (terry@lambert.org) wrote:
: doolitt@recycle.cebaf.gov (Larry Doolittle) wrote:
: ] Terry Lambert (terry@lambert.org) wrote:
: ] : Unordered writes (the result of async writes without delay
: ] : ordering) are ... *provably*  unsafe ...
: ] 
: ] They are only unsafe if the system crashes.  My experience
: ] with Linux is that it _doesn't_crash_.  I can't speak for
: ] FreeBSD, but I can't imagaine you will tell me it's worse.

: Anecdotal.

: If you listed *exactly* what you run, in what combinations, on
: a particular hardware configuration, your anedote would be useful
: to people with similar or identical hardware intending to do the
: same or a subset of the same things.  Even then, you'd need to
: quote agregate MTBF estimates for it to be truly useful.

Let me rephrase my statement.  I have demonstrated to my
satisfaction that I can put together a Linux system that
doesn't crash (three times, actually, not counting times
I have helped others).  I have talked to many more people
who feel equally confident in their abilities with Linux.
I understand that many people cannot (of course, they can
always buy a preconfigured system from VA research or
other vendors offering *BSD and/or Linux computers).

I stand by my ordered list (and I thought of one more):
  1. Run needed software
  2. Never crash
  3. Run fast
  4. Use cheap hardware

I believe we all win when Linux and *BSD attempt to outdo
each other on all three categories, and (for my needs anyway)
they are miles ahead of Microsoft's offerings.

    - Larry Doolittle    ldoolitt@cebaf.gov