heyho all. The thread title doesn't fully convey what I mean but it is the question I am asking. Question is why am I using linux when there are other open source OSs? What I am trying to say is people say other open OSs out there are better than Linux like BSD, so if BSD or other such OSs are better then why havn't programmers dropped linux to work on them? I am a newb who loves CLI and I don't understand why we are all still using and developing for linux if there is a more powerful alternative.

Because Linux has a bigger user and developer base than BSD. It's not just about code.

Linux's big break came when BSD was threatened by lawsuits and developers started looking for a 'safer' OS. And there was Linux, just waiting for them. . .

There are also the arguments about the licenses: the BSD license allows you to take the code and make it proprietary, the GPL does not.

There's quite a bit of BSD code in Windows, for instance, but a lot of Linux developers would be most unhappy if their freely-donated open-source code could be closed and used by Linux's main 'enemy'.

That said, there's nothing to stop you using BSD if you think it's superior. In some ways, it undoubtedly is. But in other ways, it isn't.

Freedom of choice - the ultimate luxury of FOSS!

Sort of. Linus Torvalds has said that if 386BSD wasn't stuck in court at the time, Linux probably would have never existed. I use Linux over BSD because I currently have it installed and everything is setup how I want. Changing over would be too much hassle. When I get another computer I'll probably install OpenBSD to try it, but I wouldn't be suprised if I formatted it for linux weeks later.

At some point I really will get around to installing a BSD just to give it a go. Apart from anything else, I gather there's already a GentooBSD, so it shouldn't be much of a culture shock

I have used freesbie which was OK but did basically the same thing
I got a solaris 10 disk that I might try as well
but will probably stick with mandriva
basically coz it works

its all about freedom of choice

floppy

there's a big difference in goals, one of them is most apparent in their licenses, the gpl is good if you want to share your code with likeminded people who are willing to share. it scares many off by being too restrictive. the BSD license makes code available to everyone and they can do whatever they want with it as long as credit is given where it is due.
the implications of these differences are many.
I'm pretty sure that BSD licensed code is doing more for the software and OS communities/industries than GPL code is, however.. the industries and communities are changing to accomodate gpl code.