Just to clarify my above statements a little bit, the benchmarks I referenced are in regards to performance, not necessarily stability. I still think FreeBSD has the edge over any Linux kernel there (although when 2.6 is fully unleashed and FBSD 5.1 is finalized it should be a very interesting comparison).

The reason I switched for Linux to BSD for my fileserver/workstation is that I was having to patch my Mandrake system just as often as my WinXP laptop. I want a system that doesn't require that much constant maintenance. I'm just hoping the workstation performance is acceptable with BSD. I remember the last time I ran BSD as a workstation (FBSD 4.7) it ran some apps a little sluggish in X and I had to run Mozilla as the Linux binaries so the plug-ins would work. At that time (could be very different now) Mozilla didnt feel very snappy or responsive running the Linux binary version.

i have some very very serious doubts about the individual who ran those benchmarks...



1). He is testing a FreeBSD os full of debuging code.
2). He wrote a benchmark for linux, and used it for the bsds. doesn't sound very fair to me.
3). Openbsd needs the root partition to be on the beginning of the disk.( and this guy is doing benchmarks?!)
4). The test should have been performed on proper hardware... (An
old laptop with inadequate harddisk space?!)


And, yes, he was obviously trying to place linux ahead of the rest. 3.4-STABLE, 4-STABLE, and the eventual 5-STABLE will give him a run for his money. Too bad he tested NONE of them.

Some indepth views on why the benchmarks are skewed to begin with,
http://marc.theaimsgroup.com/?l=open...0195122460&w=2
http://lists.freebsd.org/pipermail/f...er/003819.html
http://lists.freebsd.org/pipermail/f...er/003778.html
http://lists.freebsd.org/pipermail/f...er/003812.html

Hmmm... One of my favorite systems is an old laptop with inadequate disk space running OpenBSD. It's my daily onsite/carry machine, and I consider it to be quite proper for the job that it's doing.

yes and i bet you run a server that experiences high loads... you know the point of the test was to compare server operating systems not desktops...

and finally, his scientific conclusion: "OpenBSD 3.4 was a real stinker in these tests". no comments on that...

I'll chime in here a bit and give my thoughts.

Like most, I started out with Linux, RH 7.0 to be exact.
It was nice to get familiar with a command line and I quickly fell in love with Linux.

However, a security Admin for an ISP I worked for lead me to *BSD and since then, I have not looked back.

I started with OpenBSD 2.9 and have worked with FreeBSD since 4.4.

There were quite a few people who made very good comments about the differences between Linux and *BSD.

Here are my thoughts:

With Linux, each distribution takes part of the kernel that is maintained by Linus and adds in own assortment of flavors. Thus, you have all these different distributions with different file system layouts and their own binary and libraries added. This stirs the pot a bit.

With *BSD, you are talking about one source tree that is worked on consistently and added to by lots of developers.

Great thing about *BSD is all you need to do is keep your source tree up to date with whatever branch you wanna follow a well as your ports. Piece of cake with cvsup and a nightly cronjob.

Patching: Is a breeze. Last thing I patched was openssh and it was smooth as silk

Lets talking about kernel compiling.
In my experience, it can be a real adventure with Linux and can make one incredibly nervous if you compile your own on a production server.

*BSD, simple as can be.

I'm not trying to motivate anyone here, just expressing thoughts.

I work for a company who wants Linux stuff, so i've put up Linux stuff. But, im slowly breaking down the walls and introducing them to *BSD. As it stands now, I have a OpenBSD mail gateway on our DMZ acting as our SMTP relay, running PF and postfix. Its SOLID.

Someone once told me the following line regarding stability between Linux and *BSD.

"If Linux is a 'rock' for stability, then *BSD is a mountain."

I agree.

If your interested in *BSD stuff, stop by this web site:

http://screamingelectron.org

Great guys with great knowledge, all on *BSD.

Tarballed

oh that's very confusing for a guy like me!! Working on Linux about 2.5 weeks.I have slack 9.1 (and exept that a very good knowledge on C and a bit of asm).I have read the slackware linux essentials and i can say that i found no fucking damn prob/difficulty with Linux.But if there is a better *nix OS why not to try it out At uni i plan to specialize on networks+security so my question to you is:: leave linux and get into *BSD with Oplatforms ? or maybe continue penBSD for networking and Slack for desktop/general use :: or keep OpenBSD and continue with FreeBSD for dektop/general use ??

PS:maybe to reconsider changing my linux distro
i have also tried mandrake9(bliah!) and RedHat 8.1 but slackware gained my trust

Well I would not discontinue learning about any *nix OS. They all have slight differences and all could be useful in different situations. If you plan on specializing in security, I would recommend following OpenBSD very closely. Of course, the best way to follow it would be to have it installed on some machine.

I think there's a lot of benefit in following both BSD and Linux in parallel. That way no matter which direction your career takes, or what platform your eventual employers implement, migrate to, etc you'll have a wider base of skills. That's why it's also a good idea to keep informed about the current enterprise (NT4, Win2K, Win2K3, etc) release of Windows, even if you don't personally run it.

Remember also that multi-booting is an option, so you don't have to exclusively install one OS.

I agree completely. Learn as much as you can. It wont hurt.

I have the following boxes installed at work:

OpenBSD 3.3 (Mail gateway server)
FreeBSD 4.8 (Desktop station)
OpenBSD 3.4 (Destkop station/build packages for mail gateway)

Couple of RH servers as well.

Keeps things fun and interesting and im always learning.

Tarballed

i got the point

In regards to getting a server "just the way I like it"

Freebsd has always been my favourite. I have a psuedo port that installs everything I want in one go. (ok so sometimes it takes a while) but from install. I simply make a new port called my-sys, (the makefile I keep stored on another server) which requires all the programs I need.

So install. Log In. mkdir /usr/ports/deskutils/my-sys;rsync makefile; make install && make clean


love it