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Top laptops to use with FreeBSD

freebsdfoundation.github.io

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Re: Top laptops to use with FreeBSD

#131

Post by rjsw »

0x457 wrote: post #76
AshamedCaptain wrote: post #71

Earlier quoted context omitted.

It is the _only_ OSS operating system that supports AMD cards from this decade, and it does so by having to emulate the Linux kernel API, and yet _still_ it lags years behind Linux itself. I've chosen this example for a reason -- this is exactly what I'm sad about.

That and WiFi being stuck at 802.11g is what made me switch. It was a very sad day for me when I uninstalled FreeBSD from all of non-server machines.

Ethernet works fine for me at home, only use WiFi when travelling.

Re: Top laptops to use with FreeBSD

#132

Post by herecomesthepre »

fl4regun wrote: post #108

So can anyone give me a short explanation on why someone would use freeBSD over linux? I do run it technically, on my router (OPNSense), but that's not a personal computer, like a desktop or laptop. What are the advantages to running FreeBSD?

It's arguably the best non-Apple/non-Windows system to use to order an Apple or Windows laptop to replace it.

You might have to use an Ethernet connection though, as the Wi-Fi may not be supported.

Re: Top laptops to use with FreeBSD

#134

Post by herecomesthepre »

kev009 wrote: post #119
fl4regun wrote: post #108

So can anyone give me a short explanation on why someone would use freeBSD over linux? I do run it technically, on my router (OPNSense), but that's not a personal computer, like a desktop or laptop. What are the advantages to running FreeBSD?

For the average joe there it's just an option and personal taste, and it comes with its own tradeoffs and learning curve. Well integrated ZFS would probably be the main thing for average joe. For developers, it is interesting to think of as a self contained toolkit. If you are building firmware, platform images for bare metal or cloud, it creates a much better demarcation than any attempts Linux can put forth. This i…

If you want ZFS use Solaris not an ersatz system that imported OpenZFS code.

Re: Top laptops to use with FreeBSD

#135

Post by [deleted] »

wolvoleo wrote: post #36
bxparks wrote: post #26

Earlier quoted context omitted.

From the link: "Note: The inbuilt WiFi chip is not natively supported by FreeBSD, so you will need to (temporarily) use a USB WiFi or Ethernet dongle, or (as I will explain) copy some files from a different system to the Macbook. You could also just transplant a different chip into the system." You say "works perfectly". I do not think it means what you think it means. To be fair, Linux also has trouble with the Broa…

> Broadcom Here's the real problem. It's sad how a company that spawned the raspberry pi in earlier times got so evil so quickly.

[deleted]

Re: Top laptops to use with FreeBSD

#136

Post by ggm »

vermaden wrote: post #100

I own these and they also work great with FreeBSD: ThinkPads: - W520/W530/T520/T530/X220/X230/T420s - T480 - T14 GEN1 (Intel) - T14 GEN1 (AMD) I needed to replace MediaTek WiFi card on T14 (AMD) into some Intel WiFi one. Hope that helps. Regards, vermaden

Update the matrix on the source site?

Re: Top laptops to use with FreeBSD

#137

Post by sharts »

The funny thing is the BSDs would likely have better support if most folks complaining here actually used BSD for their infra.

No, you don’t need linux to run your python webapp that you actually tested on your macbook.

Re: Top laptops to use with FreeBSD

#138

Post by 0x457 »

craftkiller wrote: post #114
0x457 wrote: post #106

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Not to sound like goal post mover, but once you tried 802.11be @ 6GHz, you never go back (assuming what your AP connected to can handle it). That's my problem with FreeBSD on non-servers - eventually it's supported, usually via Linux shim, but it's too late. By the time FreeBSD started to support (on CURRENT) GPU that forced me to switch, I already upgraded twice. Glad it's getting better.

eh I've got 802.11be @ 6ghz at home (u7 pro AP and QCNCM865 client) and it is truly impressive, but I only notice the difference once every 1-2 years when I'm transferring a full-disk image over the network for backup. We've long passed the point where the speed improvements matter for daily usage (browsing the web, streaming video, remote desktop, installing updates). For those use cases, you wouldn't notice a slowd…

I often have to transfer large files in LAN. 802.11ac and 802.11n definitely enough for most of the time. I often have to transfer large files between machines in LAN, with 802.11ac makes you remember that it's wireless, while 802.11be makes you forget.

I have the same setup for a framework main board next to the AP, and it's reliably faster than using their usb-c ethernet extension card.

Re: Top laptops to use with FreeBSD

#139

Post by jmspring »

sharts wrote: post #137

The funny thing is the BSDs would likely have better support if most folks complaining here actually used BSD for their infra. No, you don’t need linux to run your python webapp that you actually tested on your macbook.

But docker!

I've been using jails/etc and the pattern with way I setup and configure my FreeBSD servers hasn't significantly changed in 20 years.

Re: Top laptops to use with FreeBSD

#140

Post by AshamedCaptain »

ux266478 wrote: post #130
cevn wrote: post #103

Earlier quoted context omitted.

It's sad because it removes choice from users over what OS to run. People that only use windows are going and throwing their old computers away.

I think of it more in the reverse, the choice being removed is the hardware you can use. It has been the case from the dawn of computing that you start from a usecase (which correlates to software, which maps to an operating system) and then look at your options for hardware. The more specific your usecase, the more specific your software, which correlates to a specific choice of hardware. There is no, and can be no,…

> Now it can be better or worse, and right now it's never been better. There was a time when your language, your shell and your operating system were specific to the exact model of comput

No, it is not. There was a small period of time between the 90s and the 2010s where you could grab almost every 386 OS and have your hardware mostly decently run for it, and if not, drivers would be easily written from manufacturer specifications. That time was definitely better then than what we have today, or what we had before then. I am writing this as someone who was written serial port controller drivers for the BeOS.

> That we suffer from more esoteric operating systems lagging behind the bleeding edge of extremely complicated peripherals is a very good place to be in.

This is the wrong logic, because operating systems become esoteric since they can't support the hardware, and hardware becomes complicated and under-specified because there's basically only one operating system to take care of. You may _think_ you have no reason to be sad if you're a user of Windows or Linux, but you have plenty anyway.

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