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@lproven@social.vivaldi.net
Post #1641943
2026-02-22 21:39 UTC
@grahamperrin @peteorrall @jwallen
Somehow you mangled the URL.
I searched the Wayback Machine for the URL on the end and got this:
https://web.archive.org/web/20260126155103/https://www.zdnet.com/web/20260126155103/https:/www.zdnet.com/article/freebsd-will-challenge-your-skills-and-make-you-learn-along-the-way/
TBH, I agree with most of @jwallen's points here.
* FreeBSD _does_ have common roots with real original AT&T Unix©™. All the AT&T code was eventually removed & replaced, so it is Theseus's Unix: no original parts, but it started out made from the same bits.
* FreeBSD _is_ more challenging than almost any Linux. I am not a Linux specialist -- I was installing SCO Xenix in production 3 years _before_ Linus started his project -- but Linux _has_ advanced _far_ more in ease of use than any of the BSDs.
FreeBSD especially so: for example, at least OpenBSD and NetBSD leave you with working X11 and a window manager at the end of a default install. FreeBSD doesn't.
I too am _considering_ switching to FreeBSD. My Intel Mac is getting old, I don't want an Arm one, and soon x86 macOS will start to bitrot.
OTOH a lot of my favourite tools and apps are still missing from BSD. I don't want containers or fancy server stuff, but I very much do want a CUA editor in my console, for instance.
TBH I may well switch to Alpine Linux instead. It's still a Linux, but it feels a bit like one of the 1990s ones: tiny, fast, clean, for the price of being not very friendly…
Replies (2)
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@lproven thanks, and did you accidentally copy my previously mangled link?
(I fixed my mangle, but can't reach the link in your post.)
Open ##1641944
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@lproven @grahamperrin @jwallen
Liam,
Yes, I *do* agree that Linux has advanced far more than the BSDs. I've experienced this myself since starting both Linux and FreeBSD around the same time, roughly 20 years ago. I will not deny that. However, I find Linux more challenging from the perspective of documentation quality. Admittedly, this has been one of my biggest gripes.
FreeBSD has The Handbook. It's canonical, it's versioned, regularly updated, and considered a core feature. It's also a single, complete OS. But this is not the same for mainstream Linux distros. OTOH, Debian, openSUSE, Arch, and Ubuntu (to name a few) all vary wildly in quality.
Of course, man pages exist but they are just reference. This day in age, tutorials and How-Tos are expected.
Funny you mention containers, due to the documentation problems I've struggled over setting those up but found FreeBSD Jails straightforward and significantly easier.
Open ##1641946