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Path: euryale.cc.adfa.oz.au!newshost.anu.edu.au!harbinger.cc.monash.edu.au!news.mira.net.au!vic.news.telstra.net!act.news.telstra.net!psgrain!newsfeed.internetmci.com!sgigate.sgi.com!enews.sgi.com!news.uoregon.edu!news.algonet.se!news.hebel.net!news.sics.se!news.telia.se!news.kbfi.ee!kadri.ut.ee!haldjas.folklore.ee!sander From: sander@haldjas.folklore.ee (Sander Vesik) Newsgroups: comp.unix.bsd.freebsd.misc Subject: Re: Linux vs. FreeBSD ... Date: 9 May 1996 15:32:00 GMT Organization: Tartu University, Estonia Lines: 106 Message-ID: <4mt35g$ahk@kadri.ut.ee> References: <3188C1E2.45AE@onramp.net> <4mnsc5$6qo@sundial.sundial.net> NNTP-Posting-Host: haldjas.folklore.ee X-Newsreader: TIN [version 1.2 PL2] Bryan J. Smith, E.I. (b.j.smith@ieee.org) wrote: What a piece of utter crap! Sander : 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 : ==========================================================