I recently got into the process of testing and installing some desktop linuxes for some priests who were just about tired of paying for a new version of antivirus ever so often and maintaining their antivirus software. I suggested linux for them as an alternative. I would have suggested freebsd, but I know that it would take some time before they could actually get used to console every time they needed to do something that required root privileges.

In all my testing I came across the ubuntu linux distro and I was pretty impressed by the way it was put together. I was even more impressed by its power management when I ran its live cd on my laptop. I currently run FreeBSD 6.0 on my laptop and have had no problems performance wise with it. However, The power management is an issue of concern for me - something I have noticed that ubuntu manages easily.

When FreeBSD runs, my fan is always running at some level.It is always humming away. However with ubuntu installed the fan eventually stops unless I am performing a load intensive task. I see this as a plus for ubuntu. But, I am curious as to whether there is similar power management capability for freebsd on my laptop or am I better off switching to ubuntu.

It boils down to using what you are comfortable with. No one here 'should' be comfortable making a recommendation for you based on the information you presented. Only you are in a position to decide which is the better system for your situation.

Although I know there is decent power management software for FreeBSD, I'm not in a position to compare it to Ubuntu and even if I was, it would still be up to you to determine which makes more sense. If your experience is that Ubuntu has better, more reliable, and easier power management on laptops then I would think that you'd stick with it.

But it's not my call... or anyone else's... it is yours.

Thanks for the response, I really appreciate it. I noticed you mentioned something that I could use for power management on freebsd. Do you mind explaining that? I would much prefer trying that out before making the plunge into a different OS. If it doesn't work out for me then I will consider Ubuntu. But, if it works out I will prefer to work with FreeBSD.

You will need to try enabling apm or acpi and seeing which one works best with the hardware. http://www.freebsd.org/doc/en_US.ISO...p/article.html

This includes some information on it. Once you've gotten the better one installed you can find tools that are in ports to help control it (and/or use sysctl to enable and disable parts). I am not very familiar with what programs exist. When I was running BSD on my laptop(s) I rarely concerned myself with true power management... I only cared if it went to sleep when I closed the lid and woke back up when I opened it.

Why would it be any harder for them to use FreeBSD than Linux? BSD has pretty much almost all the same apps as Linux. Which one is harder is who you ask. Some may find BSD easier to use since it's more consolidated.

I don't use BSD so I don't know for sure, but iirc, FreeBSD has gnome, KDE, Xfree86/Xorg (take your pick), and pretty much all the rest of the main stuff that any Linux distro does. It of course has some of it's own stuff as well. I believe it also runs alot of the same GNU programs/applications and utils, but some of them are replaced by BSD centric variants instead.

It sounds like you're coming from the mindset that BSD is only good for servers and not for desktops. I believe that is a common misnomer about it much like a reflection of the common misnomers about Linux. My understanding is that it's as much suitable for desktops and workstations as Linux is. I just think that it tends to get alot of kudo for being a great server platform because of it's different development model that tends to be more ideal for maximal server security and performance. But I believe, just like Linux, it's a versatile OS that can be applied very well to many different needs and tasks.

Unix type OSes tend to be terse in general. There are of course some distros that cater to more hand holding and user friendliness, but if those facilities fail to get the job done, then you're back to having to do things the "hard" way. Except it usually seems the "friendlier" distro actually end up being more difficult to get working right in those situations since there tends to be alot more abstraction going on.

If I were you, I would base the decision of what to install on their systems based upon what you are most comfortable with and what supports their hardware the best, both in terms in deciding between BSD vs. Linux and distro vs. distro.

You ask people what distro you should put in their systems and everyone is going to have a different answer. Alot of that is going to be based upon what they've experienced with the hardware they happen to be running and may not end up being the best route to go in your particular situation.

Here's a little link that may help you with making a decision. I like this link because it looks at things from a fairly objective standpoint. However, you can tell that the author is a fan of FreeBSD and it is his preference, but he does a good job of explaining some of the differences between Linux and BSD and what the ramifications are.

http://www.over-yonder.net/~fullermd...bsd4linux2.php

LOL, it's kind of funny how I am a Linux user and sound pro BSD in this thread, and you're a BSD user sounding pro Linux. Gotta love it. I guess it's testiment to how good they both are.

Like that one guy in here told you. You're in the best position to make the call.

lol, well we got to be fair and give respect where it is needed. {I think this is one of the most civil threads ever regarding the Linux or *BSD question.}

Maybe it should be noted that my desktop is FreeBSD and has been FreeBSD since '99 sometime. And when I had to pick an OS for my step-mother (to replace Windows because she was useless), I went with FreeBSD even though my father was trying to learn Linux... because it was what I was comfortable with (maintaining and supporting in other ways). And I knew it would do the job. My step-mother thinks she runs Linux (and brags that "her linux" runs better than my "dad's linux").

I currently support several FreeBSD workstations for people. Most of them are about as computer illiterate as they come. But once it is installed and properly configured, they find it very easy to use (often easier than Windows). And that's not really the OS. It is the applications on the OS and the configuration. I could have provided the same user experience on Linux as I was able to provide on FreeBSD. But since I had the experience with FreeBSD, I was more comfortable knowing I was going to be able to solve any little problems which came up as well as maintain the computers for the life of the machines.

Like I was saying... you want to use what you're comfortable with. And if you find that one OS has problems, like power management, and the other doesn't -- all else being equal -- you should use the one which will work best.

But yes, FreeBSD can make an excellent user workstation. Linux can make an excellent user workstation. The choice is in your hands and you're the one who knows what you'll be comfortable with at 3am in the morning when the disk has started to fail and there is data which must absolutely be saved. That happened to me. The day my step-mother's father died her hard drive followed suit and all the pictures she had of him from the time he was in the hospital were on the computer (this was pre-mandatory backups because she was afraid of them). She had even emptied the camera in hopes of returning to take more -- before she got the news. So, when she called, there was no time for questioning or doubt. I had to get it done and I was glad I picked a system I was comfortable enough with that I knew it would be okay as long as something could be done.

When you give someone a computer like this, as much as you will hate it, you will be that guy who gets called at the worst possible time when it happens to go wrong. It will be rare and eventually your calls will be slim to none. At this point, if I was to get a call then I would know something was horribly wrong. But when the pressure is on, you will need to know exactly what to do and how to take control of the situation and manage that with a very upset person hovering 10 inches away.

Well, I have made the decision to give ubuntu a try for about a week and see how it handles. I was actually surprised to find my laptop model was tested and proven to be supported on both breezy badger and dapper drake. Anyway, I am just giving ubuntu a try to see if it is the best choice for my machine and whether it is something I can live with.

Thanks a lot for the input guys.