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Newsgroups: comp.unix.bsd.netbsd.misc,comp.unix.bsd.freebsd.misc,comp.os.linux.advocacy Path: euryale.cc.adfa.oz.au!newshost.anu.edu.au!harbinger.cc.monash.edu.au!simtel!news.kei.com!news.mathworks.com!news.bluesky.net!news.sprintlink.net!dorite!not-for-mail From: root@dyson.iquest.net (John S. Dyson) Subject: Re: Why isn't NetBSD popular? Message-ID: <40saph$b7@dyson.iquest.net> Lines: 42 Sender: news@iquest.net (News Admin) Organization: John S. Dyson's home machine References: <DDACyE.CBt@seas.ucla.edu> <VIXIE.95Aug14011302@wisdom.home.vix.com> <40n2im$37n@dyson.iquest.net> <DDCwsD.8xz@citylink.dinoex.sub.org> Date: Wed, 16 Aug 1995 08:38:09 GMT Xref: euryale.cc.adfa.oz.au comp.unix.bsd.netbsd.misc:710 comp.unix.bsd.freebsd.misc:4250 comp.os.linux.advocacy:15919 In article <DDCwsD.8xz@citylink.dinoex.sub.org>, Peter Much <peter@citylink.dinoex.sub.org> wrote: >In article <40n2im$37n@dyson.iquest.net>, >John S. Dyson <root@dyson.iquest.net> wrote: >>In article <VIXIE.95Aug14011302@wisdom.home.vix.com>, >>Paul A Vixie <vixie@wisdom.home.vix.com> wrote: >>>> I'm posting this message to all appropriate newsgroups. I'm >>>>interested in hearing what makes FreeBSD and Linux much more popular than >>>>NetBSD. >>> >>>NetBSD is quite popular among the folks who used raw 4BSD from CSRG and thought >>>it was exactly what an operating system should be. >>> >>>FreeBSD and Linux are quite popular among the folks who used SCO or MiXinu >>>and thought that operating systems ought not to be wizard-specific. >> >>Very interesting... That analysis is quite correct since I came from an >>SVRx background!!! Since almost every SVRx(2<=4) was practically a totally >>different OS, I guess that FreeBSD is SVR5 :-) ? (I don't know who I am >>insulting: SVRx or FreeBSD :-).) > >So, it's simply GREAT that all these approaches do exist, and surely there >is no real need to debate which one is "better". (Although I'm curious >about what will make the Unix-newbie's race: FreeBSD or Linux...) > I really don't think that it is accurate to categorize the best use of FreeBSD is for newbies. In fact -- in my work optimizing it and making the VM system (and other's work) more robust, it is now capable of handling much heavier loads than the original CSRG stuff. The kernel in FreeBSD is changing for the better for commercial type uses. Of course, it is a good thing for newbies to get started with it -- because it does have reasonable installation tools, and will scale to almost the largest applications that you can run on a given piece of hardware. NetBSD has the *BSD multi-architecture market right now, and is more than reasonably good at it. But I believe (know) that FreeBSD is further along at making a generally more robust system (but is not perfect -- yet. :-)) John dyson@root.com