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Xref: sserve comp.os.386bsd.misc:2077 comp.os.linux.misc:11103 Newsgroups: comp.os.386bsd.misc,comp.os.linux.misc Path: sserve!newshost.anu.edu.au!munnari.oz.au!metro!news.cs.su.oz.au!harbinger.cc.monash.edu.au!yeshua.marcam.com!usc!elroy.jpl.nasa.gov!ncar!csn!boulder.parcplace.com!imp From: imp@boulder.parcplace.com (Warner Losh) Subject: Re: Impressions: FreeBSD vs Linux Message-ID: <Cn1KJ1.9pr@boulder.parcplace.com> Sender: news@boulder.parcplace.com Organization: ParcPlace Boulder References: <1994Mar18.084355.19503@atlas.com> <CMzw69.92K@tower.nullnet.fi> Date: Tue, 22 Mar 1994 01:09:01 GMT Lines: 51 In article <CMzw69.92K@tower.nullnet.fi> Ismo.Peltonen@tower.NullNet.FI writes: >> * FreeBSD has a more polished look and feel. Linux definately looks and >> feels like a beta product. FreeBSD seems to have consistancy where >> Linux does not. > >What do people mean with this (`looks and feels like a beta/not finished')? >What in Linux makes that unfinished look'n'feel? From my point of view it is the building of a system. On FreeBSD, all I type is "make world," then go out for the night. When I come back, all my user level utilities have been build and installed (in addition to libraries, include files, etc). For Linux I must have missed something because I've never seen a source distribution I could do this with (feel free to prove me wrong). This is due, I think, to the fact that there is exactly one core distribution and an central group running the show that is responsible (as a group) for the entire system. Also, the many different distributions on Linux is confusing and adds to the perception that it isn't quite there yet in terms of the integration part of the project. FreeBSD has one place to get the sources for the entire system, while I have to grab sources from hither and yon for Linux. I can't grab n tar balls of source from somewhere and expect one make command to compile and install the system. Finally, I can get the latest sources to FreeBSD every night and rebuild w/minimal effort, since there is one place for the sources for the entire system. I just sup new sources, and type make and I'm off. I usually get and install new sources about once a week, however, because a build does take quite a while. I've also seen various nits wrt files and file placement on Linux that may have gone away. Don't get me wrong. The binary distributions of Linux are nice, but sometimes you just wanna have the warm fuzzies that you only get with a fully integrated build enviornment. To be sure, this is a minor point. It was the first thing I noticed about FreeBSD when I started using it. Warner P.S. the usual disclaimer about FreeBSD v NetBSD: They are likely the same, but I haven't used NetBSD and I indent it no slight by my comments. -- Warner Losh imp@boulder.parcplace.COM ParcPlace Boulder "... but I can't promote you to "Prima Donna" unless you demonstrate a few more serious personality disorders"