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From: jrmt@uk.gdscorp.com (Jon Thackray)
Newsgroups: comp.unix.bsd.freebsd.misc,comp.os.linux.development.system
Subject: Linux user's comments (since 0.98! :-) on FreeBSD 2.1
Date: 8 Jan 1996 12:03:41 GMT
Organization: Graphic Data Systems Ltd, Cambridge, UK
Lines: 85
Message-ID: <4cr16t$obt@topcat.uk.gdscorp.com>
NNTP-Posting-Host: camden.uk.gdscorp.com
Keywords: freebsd2.1 linux both cool
Originator: jrmt@uk.gdscorp.com (Jonathan Thackray)
Xref: euryale.cc.adfa.oz.au comp.unix.bsd.freebsd.misc:12107 comp.os.linux.development.system:15276
[Background:] I recently installed FreeBSD 2.1, coming from a Linux
background since February 1993, and was very impressed. I did know
about 386BSD in those days, but I was more interested in Linux back
then, due to using Minix before that.
However, the inclusion of an ext2fs driver and other compatibilities
has prompted me to give FreeBSD a try; I'm getting tired of the lack of
coherency in Linux, kernel crashes and the continual upgrade cycle, and
fancied a change of outlook.
Here's my comments:
- Install procedure: very snazzy and foolproof. (I can't compare it to
Linux, since the last one I did was almost 3 years ago with SLS!).
However, after installing, I did have problems booting the new
system via LILO, then via the FreeBSD loader. The kernel crashed after
probing my PCI system with a panic on privileged instruction.
I'll blame this one on the PC architecture, since after booting off
floppy and re-compiling the kernel without all the extra device
drivers, it works flawlessly.
- Speed-wise, it reminds me of Linux 0.99.15, just after it got
clustering but before bloat and ELF came along. It 'feels' faster,
but I'm sure that's just me being impressed. It's certainly not
slow.
- Pleased that all the best features of Linux are in FreeBSD:
compressed kernels, loadable modules, virtual consoles, loadable
keymaps + fonts, firewalling, ip accounting, APM bios support, NCR
SCSI driver, soundblaster support & whizzy console screensavers :-)
- I was interested that you included and configured Apache and Samba
'out of the box', for corporate users, including writing a web page
with Chuck for them, 'powered by FreeBSD' :-)
Questions: (possibly FAQs, although I couldn't see the answers under
/usr/share/doc)
- How can I turn off synchronous updates on meta-data under FFS?
I'd like my disk to be fast and quiet again! Also, what's the status
of the LFS? An incomplete left-over from Berkeley?
- Loadable modules don't appear to work out of the box. Compiling the
kernel without MSDOS support, and then saying mount_msdos gives
'(vfs)cannot find msdos_module'. Sounds about as broken as Linux at
the moment ;-)
- Is there any documentation on ext2fs within FreeBSD?
How stable is it? (guess I'll have to join the mailing list
@freebsd.org)
- Can I map alt+left and right cursor keys for switching virtual
consoles, as well as alt+f1, alt+f2, etc?
- Linux compatibility compile option? Can I run Linux a.out binaries,
and how? I've not got many ELF binaries yet, so I'm not too worried
about those.
- NTFS and VFAT. I've been using the NTFS module under Linux, for
mounting Windows NT filesystems read-only. I haven't yet looked at
the module structure under FreeBSD, but would it be possible to
develop for both, with just a re-compile and a -DFreeBSD? Same goes
for VFAT and other useful modules - would be extremely useful :-)
In summary, both are great systems, each with their strengths. I've
only been playing with FreeBSD for a week or so, so I can't give much
more technical information, and I expect I'll use both systems in the
future.
I'd like to see more dual-development between the 'camps', for example,
the NTFS (and other filing systems) loadable modules could run on both
systems. Also sharing device drivers would be good (but _DON'T_ mention
the GPL or BSD copyrights, or we'll have another flame war again! :-)
Most excellent work from Jordan, Linus, and everyone involved in both.
May the future of free software go from strength to strength :-)
Jon.
--
// Jon Thackray, ._o
// Cambridge, / //\. Work: jrmt@uk.gdscorp.com
// UK. ><> \>> | Play: jrmt@froggy.demon.co.uk
// \\