Re: FreeBSD vs Linux
On Tue, 2006-01-17 at 18:15 +0100, [EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote: What is the essential difference between FreeBSD and Linux (Fedora for instance)? I have been following this thread (and similar ones over the past few weeks) and would like to offer my perspective on the FreeBSD versus Linux discussion. FWIW, this isn't a troll, so my apologies if it upsets some of the more precious people on this list (and having read the list for the past couple of months you are definitely out there). To explain some background, I used/administered/programmed under Unix throughout the 1980s and 1990s (SysVR3, BSD4.2, Ultrix...), and I have been using Linux (RedHat/Fedora) for the past couple of years. I have recently been using/evaluating FreeBSD. I have no particular axe to grind in favour of either system. It's reasonable to assume that the sorts of people asking a question like what's the difference... or which is better... aren't designing brand-new top-end data centres. They are a lot more likely to be contemplating a move from MS Windows or perhaps have dabbled with Linux and are curious. I would also suggest that a better question than what's better is what is more appropriate. So, that preamble out of the way, my $0.02 is this. The distinction Linux is a kernel; FreeBSD is an O/S is - frankly - the sort of jesuitical sophistry that gets UseNet a bad name. The important things are: EASE OF USE AND INSTALLATION Linux is a much, much easier system to install and configure. No contest. Stick the disks in, it'll pretty much recognise any sound-card and video interface and will work out of the box without pissing about configuring X-windows or recompiling the kernel. I'm sure if you persevere for long enough with FreeBSD it's possible to get a quite usable desktop, with most of the applications that come bundled with a release of Linux. The FreeBSD installation process is like some sort of time-warp back to the 1980s. The argument that most FreeBSD installations are server, so don't require mice etc. is a circular/self-fulfilling one. People - frankly - aren't going to be bothered messing around getting FreeBSD working. Get used to it. COMMUNITY The Linux community is much larger than the FreeBSD one. I have noted certain comments in this mailing list about wanting to stay select, like some sort of digital Albania. To be honest, it's highly likely that your wish will come true. Fortunately there is this mailing list. And a couple of books, although when I went to my local bookstores (large ones, with big sections on computing) each had an entire shelf of Linux books, but none on FreeBSD. Thank goodness for Amazon, so I could get Lehey - which is excellent. The relative size of the communities means two things: there's much more support for Linux and also more applications are ready for Linux. Just like if I compare Linux with Windows. This list relies on a small number of dedicated experts who are generous enough with their time to answer a lot of questions over and over again. However, the FreeBSD community resembles some sort of religious cult at times. If FreeBSD wants to be anything other than a small footnote in the history of computing then it needs to engage a bit more with the 99.99% of the world who neither know - nor care - what it is; and who regard re-compiling a kernel as less of a God-given right and more of a tedious chore. HARDWARE SUPPORT I'd have to say that the hardware support in FreeBSD is probably better than that in Linux. Certainly it is on the hardware I've tested. But, for most people it's still a pain. SERVER APPLICATIONS All the tests I have done, and all I have read suggests that FreeBSD is superb for server applications. Once I have convinced myself of its support for SMB and a couple of other things, then it is highly likely I will be migrating my own servers over to FreeBSD: that's the best recommendation you can get. DESKTOP APPLICATIONS I love FreeBSD's pkg_add etc. and the ports collection is quite cool. But, pretty much all the stuff I want to port or add is there in most Linux distros. Lots of stuff also just doesn't work out of the box like it should. I have to force pkg_add to do strange stuff or there are other strange dependencies. If you're prepared to work on it, then you can get most applications running on FreeBSD, but it's still easier on Linux. SUMMARY IF you are prepared to work on it, FreeBSD looks like a great server operating system. If you're just an ordinary joe who wants a Unix-style OS then Linux is much easier to install, configure etc., has more desktop type applications which work first time etc. If you are building a data-centre which requires highly available servers then FreeBSD is better than Linux. But if you are in that sort of market you already know that, and are probably intending to wait a couple of months until Solaris goes open-source. ___ freebsd-questions@freebsd.org mailing
Can someone please repost the fix for installing OpenOffice on FreeBSD 6.0
Hello there. I am trying to install Open Office on my new FreeBSD workstation, and have downloaded the appropriate BZ2 file from OpenOffice.org and unzipped it. Now when I ask pkg_add to add it I get the following: tordella# pkg_add OOo_SRC680_m146_FreeBSD60Intel_install_en-GB.tar pkg_add: could not find package openssl-beta-0.9.8a ! I recall exactly this topic being discussed on this list a few weeks ago, but have long-since deleted the solution (IIRC, it involved some way of forcing pkg_add to use a version of openssl other than beta 0.9.8a. Please can someone forward the original reply or otherwise enlighten me. Many thanks. Tim. ___ freebsd-questions@freebsd.org mailing list http://lists.freebsd.org/mailman/listinfo/freebsd-questions To unsubscribe, send any mail to [EMAIL PROTECTED]
Printing from FreeBSD 6.0 client to Fedora Core 4 server via CUPS/LPD
Hello there. I hope someone can help me with what I am sure is an
elementary problem. I am currently investigating FreeBSD with a view to
using it on my server in place of Fedora Core 4. Before I move the
server from Fedora to FreeBSD, I want to play with FreeBSD to make
sure it can do everything I want and there will be no surprises when I
move my server (and hence my business) across.
I seem to be beating my head against a brick wall attempting to get
network-based printing operating. The setup I have is as follows. I have
a internet gateway/firewall and smb/nfs/print/DHCP server called
bifrost. It is connected via Ethernet to a workstation called
tordella.
Details of the two nodes are:
Linux bifrost.shellike.com 2.6.11-1.1369_FC4 #1
Thu Jun 2 22:55:56 EDT 2005 i686 athlon i386 GNU/Linux
FreeBSD tordella 6.0-RELEASE FreeBSD 6.0-RELEASE #0:
Wed Dec 14 13:04:41 GMT 2005
[EMAIL PROTECTED]:/usr/src/sys/i386/compile/TORSNDKRNL i386
(Note that the TORSNDKRNL kernel is the 6.0 generic one with support for
my sound-card compiled in).
Connected to bifrost is an HPLJ1200 printer (lp0). If tordella runs
Windows 2000 it can use the printer via SMB, as can other Microsoft
systems (e.g. my laptop)
So:
+-+ +-++-+
| tordella| | bifrost || HPLP 1200 |
| FreeBSD 6.0 | | Fedora 4++ (lp0) |
| 10.0.0.10 | | 10.0.0.1|| |
+--+--+ +--+--++-+
| |
| |
+==+=+==+
100BaseT
Bifrost runs CUPS as its Unix printing service. Both the FreeBSd
handbook and 'The Complete FreeBSD' suggest that LPD will be used on
tordella. As far as I can tell the two should be compatible. But... when
I attempt to print I get this on tordella:
tordella# ls -l | lpr
tordella# lpq
tordella: Warning: lp is down: waiting for bifrost to come up
tordella: Warning: no daemon present
Rank Owner Job Files Total
Size
1stroot 7(standard input) 1279
bytes
and on bifrost I get:
[EMAIL PROTECTED] ~]$ lpq
HPLJ1200 is ready
no entries
bifrost's /etc/printcap is:
HPLJ1200|HPLJ1200:rm=bifrost:rp=HPLJ1200:
(with comments removed) and tordella's is:
lp|HPLJ1200|LaserJet 1200 on bifrost:\
:sh:\
:rm=bifrost:\
:sd=/var/spool/output/bifrost:\
:lf=/var/log/lpd-errs:\
:if=/usr/local/libexec/cups/filter/texttops:
On bifrost, the relevant lines of /etc/cups/cupsd.conf are:
Location /printers/HPLJ1200
Order Allow,Deny
Allow From All
Allow from tordella
Allow From 127.0.0.1
AuthType None
Allow from All
Allow from tordella
/Location
# Lines below are automatically generated - DO NOT EDIT
Browsing On
BrowseProtocols all
BrowseOrder Allow,Deny
BrowseAllow from tordella
BrowseAllow from @LOCAL
Listen 127.0.0.1:631
Listen tordella
Having done a man cups-lpd, I have also added the following
to /etc/xinet.d on bifrost
service printer
{
socket_type = stream
protocol = tcp
wait = no
user = lp
group = sys
passenv =
server = /usr/lib/cups/daemon/cups-lpd
server_args = -o document-format=application/octet-stream
}
I'd be grateful for any advice anyone has. Many thanks in advance.
Tim Greening-Jackson
Manchester, UK
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RE: backups spanning tapes help
I believe you should use the M flag. # tar cvfM /dev/foo . or some such. But that was a long time ago, on an operating system far away. -Original Message- From: [EMAIL PROTECTED] [mailto:owner-freebsd- [EMAIL PROTECTED] On Behalf Of Brent Sent: 26 December 2005 13:05 To: freebsd-questions@freebsd.org Subject: backups spanning tapes help We use a freebsd box that has a old 8mm library drive attached that we use for backups..my question is these tapes hold 7gigs native or 14 gig compressed ..One i cant seem to get compression going so i was wondering how do you span tapes using tar ? Unless theres another way to do this thank you for your help Merry Christmas -- Brent Bailey CCNA Bmyster LLC --RIP Brother Dime-- ___ freebsd-questions@freebsd.org mailing list http://lists.freebsd.org/mailman/listinfo/freebsd-questions To unsubscribe, send any mail to freebsd-questions- [EMAIL PROTECTED] ___ freebsd-questions@freebsd.org mailing list http://lists.freebsd.org/mailman/listinfo/freebsd-questions To unsubscribe, send any mail to [EMAIL PROTECTED]
