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You should try FreeBSD (2014)

blog.pascalj.com

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Re: You should try FreeBSD (2014)

#2

Post by dijit »

I did.

I like it.

It feels very clean and well engineered, I always manage to break it via updates though (freebsd-upgrade vs ports vs pkg)

Apparently pkg-ng and ports are linked via a central database though now, so that should not be the case any longer.

As for why? I disliked systemd and was told to "evolve or gtfo" so I gtfo since I didn't like the way it was being forced on me and the few gripes I had with it fell onto people who seemed to be acting very defensively. But I digress.

I'm a systems administrator, in my next employment I will be attempting to get into a company that is making use of freebsd ( hopefully by then I'll be breaking it much less often of course :) )

Re: You should try FreeBSD (2014)

#3

Post by vox_mollis »

#1 selling point missing from the article( though they hinted at it with a nod to /etc/rc.conf ):

It's not infected with systemd.

Edit: Downvotes? This is a selling point, with all major linux distros leaving very little choice for those who dislike systemd.

Re: You should try FreeBSD (2014)

#6

Post by Symbiote »

vox_mollis wrote: post #3

#1 selling point missing from the article( though they hinted at it with a nod to /etc/rc.conf ): It's not infected with systemd. Edit: Downvotes? This is a selling point, with all major linux distros leaving very little choice for those who dislike systemd.

Three replies, and two of them gripe about Systemd.

I'd be more interested in hearing about everything else.

Re: You should try FreeBSD (2014)

#7

Post by obsurveyor »

dijit wrote: post #2

I did. I like it. It feels very clean and well engineered, I always manage to break it via updates though (freebsd-upgrade vs ports vs pkg) Apparently pkg-ng and ports are linked via a central database though now, so that should not be the case any longer. As for why? I disliked systemd and was told to "evolve or gtfo" so I gtfo since I didn't like the way it was being forced on me and the few gripes I had with it fe…

Always read /usr/ports/UPDATING after upgrading your ports tree, before upgrading any ports. This usually has what's going to break and instructions about how to manage. It does seem like it's not updated as often these days though.

Re: You should try FreeBSD (2014)

#8

Post by jamescun »

I recently switched my personal box to FreeBSD. I honestly find it significantly easier to manage than Linux, and have greater trust in its reliability merely from its simplicity.

The single biggest thing which stood out for me was PF (from OpenBSD). Anybody who has ever had the grace of managing IPTables on Linux, give PF a go with /etc/pf.conf (docs: https://www.freebsd.org/doc/handbook/firewalls-pf.html, my config: https://github.com/jamescun/infrastructure/blob/master/roles...).

Re: You should try FreeBSD (2014)

#9

Post by olavgg »

Actually, FreeBSD is a great platform to learn about Linux. The more you learn about FreeBSD, the more will you understand Linux.

The only time I will advice not spending time on FreeBSD, is when you have to deal with Java.

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