Re: [TCLUG:334] FreeBSD experience preferred

[mikk0022@maroon.tc.umn.edu]

On Thu, 04 Jun 1998 18:17:11 +0000 Michael Hicks wrote
>Bob Tanner wrote:
>> 
>> I know tons of places that run FreeBSD as their main web server. So,
>> it does not really surprise me. Even though I do not like FreeBSD it
>> has proven more stable then Linux under high loads.
>
>I have heard this before, but it seemed to be far more true a few years
>ago, when Linux wasn't as mature.  (FreeBSD had been around since '87 or
>something, right?)

386BSD was featured in a Dr. Dobb's Journal in 1991.  I bought that
article and downloaded 386BSD shortly afterwards.  386BSD then
stagnated, and NetBSD, followed by FreeBSD grew out of it.  So,
FreeBSD dates back to '92 or so.  If you really want to know, I
still have my FreeBSD 1.0-Final CD sitting around, and I can check
the date for you ;-)

OpenBSD is relatively recent.

>  I think that statements like these are probably
>becoming less and less true (I don't mean to put down the FreeBSD guys,
>though..  I have no personal experience with the system..), which is to
>say that both OSes are probably evening out, though I guess I can't be
>sure..

The FreeBSD vs. Linux rivalry pains me to no end.  I've seen a good
share of idiots on both sides of the arguments, and as a FreeBSD
user, apologize for all the mindless, raving FreeBSD zealots....
most FreeBSDers I deal with are quite a bit more level-headed than
that.

When it comes down to it, we are in a very similar (if not the
same) boat -- bringing the power of Unix within the reach of the
average computer user.  Having fun with computers is another big
part of it.

>Anyway, this idea just popped into my head -- do you think that FreeBSD
>(and perhaps the other *BSDs)  will be mostly seen server-side, while
>Linux becomes another common OS (like Windows and MacOS)?  Or would
>there be some reason for it to go the other way around?

Well, FreeBSD and Linux are *almost* interchangeable.  Most
source-available applications (at least ones which aren't pathologically
Linux-specific) will compile on both, and FreeBSD runs Linux
binaries.  There's nothing keeping FreeBSD from the end-user.

Similarly, there's not too much keeping Linux from the server-side.

I can't say anything regarding differences in stability.  I've
never had a problem with FreeBSD(*), and I don't run Linux on my
machine.

They are both good experiences.  I owe my current job, and an upcoming
summer internship, to the experience that the Free PC Unices allowed
me to acquire.  The Internship will even be in a mostly FreeBSD shop
(yes!).

>Well, I gotta get back to homework an' stuff..  Thank goodness that
>school will be done soon..

Go quarters!...

(*) A few weeks ago, one of my hard drives went south, taking the entire
SCSI system with it.  It was not a race in the kernel, as the networking
stack was still working.  Of course, it was kinda useless, as telnetd
couldn't be loaded from the disk, since the disks were hung.  I had to,
reluctantly, reboot.  60 uneventful up days came to an end :'-(...

-- 
Chris Mikkelson         	mikk0022@maroon.tc.umn.edu
Q: Should I use FreeBSD or Linux?
A: Both -- only you have the answer.