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Path: euryale.cc.adfa.oz.au!newshost.anu.edu.au!harbinger.cc.monash.edu.au!news.rmit.EDU.AU!news.unimelb.EDU.AU!munnari.OZ.AU!news.mel.connect.com.au!news.mira.net.au!inquo!vyzynz!news.dacom.co.kr!nntp.coast.net!news.sprintlink.net!sundial.sundial.net!usenet From: b.j.smith@ieee.org (Bryan J. Smith, E.I.) Newsgroups: comp.unix.bsd.freebsd.misc Subject: Re: Linux vs. FreeBSD ... Date: 7 May 1996 16:05:25 GMT Organization: IEEE, Inc. Lines: 100 Message-ID: <4mnsc5$6qo@sundial.sundial.net> References: <3188C1E2.45AE@onramp.net> NNTP-Posting-Host: pm1-24.sundial.net Mime-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: Text/Plain; charset=US-ASCII X-Newsreader: WinVN 0.99.7 Re: Linux vs. FreeBSD ... Currently, I've been exiled to FreeBSD because Adaptec doesn't support Linux. This is really the only advantage to FreeBSD -- they are a controlled distribution who can sign non-disclosure agreements with companies like Adaptec. My Adaptec AHA-2842VL (an older VLB SCSI-2 Fast Host Adapter) craps out on boot since I changed my motherboard/CPU from a HSB i486sx66 to a Alaris Nx586P90. FreeBSD CAN run Linux binaries (including DOOM for X) with little modification and has a nice system of packages for download and ease of installation. FreeBSD also runs nearly all binaries for BSDI's BSD/OS. It also has the iBCS module for running SCO binaries (as does Linux). But hence, because it is a controlled distribution, it does not have the number of pre-compiled binaries as Linux does. Linux, since it is written from the ground-up, is a much more efficient OS than FreeBSD (which has been written somewhat from the ground up, to prevent a lawsuit from BSDI, is still a lot of legacy OS code). And FreeBSD v2.1 is a little dated (late '94) and the current test version is still quite buggy. FreeBSD is only available on CD-ROM from Walnut Creek CD-ROM for $50. Linux can be found on a endless number of vendors CDs for a low as $10. Downloading a complete FreeBSD system along with a good number of packages took me 16 hours @ 28.8Kbaud (saving me the CD-cost and the agony of messing with an alpha-quality IDE/ATAPI CD-ROM driver) and takes up only about 150MB. If your looking for a ready-to-go package, check out Caldera's (co-founded by former-CEO Ray Noorda) Caldera Network Desktop (CND) for a mere $99. If you're a student or work for an academic institution, you can get it for $65 (not much more than the cost of a regular Linux CD set). The CND is so good, it was reviewed in the May 1st edtition of Network Computing where it was compared against Integraph's NT solution (w/hardware for $15000), Sun's Solaris solution (w/hardware for $12000), and BSDI BSD/OS ($995-2995). The CND came out on top in cost (of course), documentation, features and LAN/WAN connectivity. The CND is an excellent solution in NOVELL NETWARE enviroment since it comes with adminstrative tools (even for NDS/Netware 4.x)! CND also features XInside's Accelerated X which cost $99 on its own!!! AccelX is a much better X-server than the default XFree86 (X-Windows) that comes with Linux and FreeBSD. You can get more info from Caldera @ www.caldera.com. In essence, Linux has the latest and greatest software and drivers (only a few companies won't release information, like Adaptec, without the signing of a non-disclosure agreement -- which is impossible in a OS who included the source code in its distribution). Quite a few hardware (and even software vendors) are supporting Linux (Buslogic has an excellent PCI SCSI-2 Ultra-Wide adapter for $250 and AdvanSys owners claim theirs to be the fastest PCI SCSI-2 Fast HA for a measly $99 -- both support Linux). If you can run Linux, it's the better choice unless your going to run a lot of BSD and SCO software. Try downloading the boot disk for FreeBSD and Linux. FreeBSD boot disk is on a single image file/disk from ftp.freebsd.com (it's really ftp.cdrom.com -- Walnut Creek CD-ROM). Try either Slackware 3.0 distribution (which is really dated about 6+ months) or RedHat Commerical Linux v3.03 distribution (ftp.redhat.com -- the distribution Caldera CND uses -- Caldera's mirror of redhat is faster too!), both which come on a boot and root disk (some require 2 root disks). You'll need either "rawrite.exe" for DOS, or use "dd" under UNIX to create the boot disks. The boot/root disks for Linux are in many flavors for many different configurations whereas the BSD boot disk is a single disk for all configurations. I hope this helped and FEEL COMPLETELY FREE to contact me (via voice or email) if you have ANY OTHER QUESTIONS/CONCERNS!!! In article <3188C1E2.45AE@onramp.net>, drbeck@onramp.net says... > >I'm trying to decide between Linux and FreeBSD 2.1. What are the >differences, advantages/disadvantages of each? Does one make a better >Web server than the other. > >It's obvious to me now that Linux has a wider (if not more public) >following. I tried to pick up a copy of FreeBSD in the Dallas, Tx. area >today (called, called and drove). No luck! I found Linux everywhere. I >know I can order FreeBSD, but that's just the impatient person I am ;> > >The main reason I am considering FreeBSD is that I was very disappointed >with the lack of (or my inability to find) ppp connectivity in the >Slackware 2.2 with the 1.2.1 kernel. > >Any comparison of Linux to FreeBSD would help. -- ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^ "I am Pentium of Borg. Precision is futile, you will be approximated." -- Stan "The Man" Buchanan, Jr. ========================================================== BRYAN J. SMITH, E.I. b.j.smith@ieee.org Systems Engineer http://www.sundial.net/~bjsmith/ ---------------------------------------------------------- - NSPE/FLBPR Certified Engineering Intern (E.I.) - IEEE Central FL Branch Secretary ---------------------------------------------------------- 1006 Teague Court Home: (407) 366-4620 Oviedo, FL 32765-7002 or: (407) 365-4693 ==========================================================