Return to BSD News archive
Xref: sserve comp.os.386bsd.misc:2124 comp.os.linux.misc:11661
Newsgroups: comp.os.386bsd.misc,comp.os.linux.misc
Path: sserve!newshost.anu.edu.au!munnari.oz.au!goanna.cs.rmit.oz.au!aggedor.rmit.EDU.AU!harbinger.cc.monash.edu.au!yeshua.marcam.com!zip.eecs.umich.edu!newsxfer.itd.umich.edu!gatech!swrinde!sgiblab!wetware!spunky.RedBrick.COM!psinntp!psinntp!adcmail!brantk
From: brantk@atlas.com (Brant Katkansky)
Subject: Impressions: FreeBSD vs Linux
Message-ID: <1994Mar18.084355.19503@atlas.com>
Organization: Atlas Telecom Inc.
Date: Fri, 18 Mar 1994 08:43:55 GMT
Lines: 60
I have been running Linux (Slackware 1.1.1) on my 486 at home for several months,
and although most of my experiences have been positive, I felt that Linux was
lacking in some areas, so I decides to look at FreeBSD.
So, I ftp'd FreeBSD-1.0 (binary and source) off freebsd.cdrom.com and installed it.
I found it to be very easy to install, despite my limited UNIX experience. I did
have to juggle a few of my Linux filesystems around to make room, but once
that was accomplished, I had few problems.
I am using a AHA-1542B controller, with existing partitions, so I had top specify
the disk geometry rather than using the defaults. No problem, except that the
first time I installed, I couldn't create the /usr filesystem. As it turns
out, I had entered the wrong cylinder count for my first drive (I had included
an extra cylinder). So, I reinstalled. Since I had the binary distribution
on a DOS filesystem, this was fast and painless. Twenty minutes later I had
a working FreeBSD system happily co-existing with Linux and DOS.
My initial impressions of how FreeBSD compares to the Slackware 1.1.1 release
of Linux are as follows:
* Linux includes more frills, FreeBSD doesn't include any support for news,
or a decent mail reader. Also some of the GNU utilities that I prefer (such
as less) aren't included. This isn't a huge problem, just download the source
and compile it.
* I like the FreeBSD source distribution better. Although the source for
all the Linux utilities are available, hunting them down can be a problem.
* Speaking of sources, I had trouble compiling some things under Linux, compiling
them under BSD seems to be simpler. I'm no C guru, and I think that compiling
for a "standard" BSD UNIX is easier than Linux. Just MHO, of course.
* 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.
The only real problem I have right now with FreeBSD is it doesn't seem to
recognize my tape drive (Archive VP-150e with SC-402 controller). I have
customized the kernel to match the configuration of the controller (IO 0x100h,
IRQ 9, DRQ 3). The kernel initializes the drive on bootup, but reports
that the wt0 device is not found. Hmmm. It works under Linux, so I suspect
that I just haven't configured the kernel right in some way. In contrast,
all of the other devices in my system (ethernet card, sound card, SCSI, etc.)
were easy to configure for, and are recognized by the kernel.
One other thing that I can't seem to figure out is if there is in-kernel
support for a Microsoft bus mouse. Didn't see anything in the docs.
I'm going to work at getting my FreeBSD setup up to production level, adding
X, news, elm, and some custom stuff. If I can get it working, I'll
probably stick with it.
--
brantk@atlas.com | "Electricity is made up of very small particles called
Atlas Telecom | electrons, which you cannot see unless you have been
Portland, OR | drinking."
--- This message printed with 100% recycled electrons ---