Linux/Unix - FreeBSD

Author

FreeBSD

onoski

2002-03-27, 9:25 am

Hello everyone, I like you to please give me some info on freebsd especially its usability and what the GUI looks like. Is it very similar in comparison to Linux since freebsd is a Unix OS. Please, any insight on this would be appreciated. Lastly I visited the web site but could not find it to download or do I need to purchase it as its not that expensive. Cheerio

Buddies!

The VMS Kid

2002-03-27, 9:51 am

Like in Linux, you can use whatever window manager suits you. It used XFree86 just like Linux, so most people tend to use KDE, but GNOME, CDE, fvwm, et.al. are all available. FreeBSD is a bit more stable than Linux but also is a lot more primitive in its installations routines and you need to know more about Unix, particularly the command line, to be able to get anywhere. You can buy them at:

http://www.edmunds-enterprises.com/...plst&category=5

for a nominal price. They usually take quite awhile to download. You may want to ask ccieToBe as well, as he did an NT to FreeBSD migration not long ago I think. He may be of help.

Boulware5

2002-03-27, 2:46 pm

If you haver a fast connection, you can download FreeBSD for free at linuxiso.org.

barellat

2002-03-27, 4:36 pm

I think the VMS Kid hit it right on the nose. FreeBSD is a great Operating System once you've got it up and running; it's just that the installation is VERY primitive. FreeBSD is an Open Source Unix variant, therefore it's free. I'm a die-hard Linux fan, but FreeBSD has Linux beat in stability. Here's an example....If you install software on your FreeBSD system that was written for FreeBSD, it will install perfectly and will remain stable without any errors. If you find, download and install software on a Linux system, the software may work well for one Flavor(Distribution) of Linux, but will be "buggy" for another.

Also, some very popular Web Sites use FreeBSD to power their Web Sites. Yahoo and Hotmail use FreeBSD for example.

Here are a few good resources I'd recommend if your're just starting out with FreeBSD:

http://www.freebsd.org/

http://www.freebsdportal.com/

http://www.freebsdmall.com/

I have 4 different books on FreeBSD. For beginners I highly recommend FreeBSD Unleashed (Version 4.4 comes with the book). As you learn more, buy some of the more advanced books on FreeBSD. FreeBSD's Web Site freebsd.org has a TON of information to guide you along. I'm glad to see that someone is taking an interest in this great Operating System.

Now, build a Server with FreeBSD and set up services such as Apache, Samba, FTP, Firewall, Sendmail, BIND, etc. and you WILL learn. Good luck!!!

Boulware5

2002-03-27, 7:40 pm

Hmmm....Is setting up such services on Linux just like it would be on FreeBSD? I am taking a Unix class soon and I thought to put BSD on the same machine as my Linux box (to practice what I learn). I might not...I mean, most things you can do in FreeBSD can be done in Linux, right?

ccieToBe

2002-03-27, 8:09 pm

Linux and FreeBSD are very simular. Like a few have already said, FreeBSD's a more mature, stable OS. It seems to be a common opinion that Linux is more simple to use but I'm not so sure about that. IMO it's easier to setup X on most Linux distros then it is in FreeBSD but configuring most network services is more straight forward in FreeBSD.

There are a lot of FreeBSD FTP sites. The one that seems to be fast the most consistantly for me is ftp2.freebsd.org.

Both OSs have great hardware support overall but Linux has much better support for certain devices, especially video cards.

Btw, remember all those cool action scenes in The Matrix? Those were made on a cluster of FreeBSD boxes running on comodity hardware. Beats the )#*)(#* out of the cost of SGI's hardware.

I did an NT to FreeBSD migration about 9 months ago. It was lots of fun and the network's been running a lot more smoothly every since.

onoski

2002-03-28, 1:49 am

Thanks for all the input guys and gals, am beginning to get into this Linux and Unix thingy as a remedy from my Windows simple GUI. Cheerio

onoski

2002-03-28, 1:53 am

CcieToBe, I tried the site "ftp2.freebsd.org" but a message box poped up saying Bad DNS and site can't be found. What's up buddy, please help.

The VMS Kid

2002-03-28, 6:38 am

quote:
Originally posted by onoski
CcieToBe, I tried the site "ftp2.freebsd.org" but a message box poped up saying Bad DNS and site can't be found. What's up buddy, please help.

It works fine for me. Might want to try it again. If not, there are mirrors available. Might want to check at the FreeBSD site for more info.

The VMS Kid

2002-03-28, 6:41 am

quote:
Originally posted by Boulware5
Hmmm....Is setting up such services on Linux just like it would be on FreeBSD? I am taking a Unix class soon and I thought to put BSD on the same machine as my Linux box (to practice what I learn). I might not...I mean, most things you can do in FreeBSD can be done in Linux, right?

Using network services on most variants of Unix are very similar, the one main difference often being distro-specific tools, which I usually avoid. Your /etc/inetd.conf file will usually respond to most of your network requests. Most things on the BSDs and Linux are very similar, and yes, you can have them both on one system and access and manipulate the files on the other partition since fils system support is included for the other flavour by default in the kernel. Let us know if you need some more help.

ccieToBe

2002-03-28, 9:03 am

quote:
Originally posted by onoski
CcieToBe, I tried the site "ftp2.freebsd.org" but a message box poped up saying Bad DNS and site can't be found. What's up buddy, please help.

I'm not having any trouble getting into it either. You can get a list of FTP mirrors at http://www.freebsd.org/doc/en_US.IS...irrors-ftp.html

onoski

2002-03-28, 10:29 am

Thanks, guys it's okay now. On to Easter weekend PC gaming. Any takers on this, would be analysing Stafcraft and a bit of Warcraft.

You know how the saying goes all day work and no play makes Jack a doll boy. I kinda believe this phrase though as long as it's balanced. Cheerio

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