[H-GEN] FreeBSD 4.0 Queries

[Christopher & Lisa LeMoyne]

[ Humbug *General* list - semi-serious discussions about Humbug and ]
[ Unix-related topics.  Please observe the list's charter.          ]

A quick word, Simon : Please don't use anything but plain text.  There's an
option in Outlook Express 5 to turn off HTML formatting in messages.  I
know, I turned it off on my sister's Win98 laptop a few weeks ago (Try
impressing netiquette upon a 12 year old and see how far you get... :-).

At 02:08 AM 4/22/00 +1000, you wrote:
>     Hello, My name is Simon, I belong to a six month old linux user group
>up here on  the Sunshine Coast. There are only about six of us at the
>moment in this group,  but out of these six minds we have narrowed it down
>to Mandrake as the most  up-to-date distributor at the moment. 

With the rate of change in the Linux world, you're best off downloading the
latest kernel/patches and XFree86, and installing/compiling them yourself.
Otherwise you could order new install disks every month or so, and do an
upgrade.....  ;-)

>The thing is
>though we have not explored  unix, and I have noticed while Linux is
>waiting for the Kernel 2.4, Unix might  be doing some catching up, like
>with FreeBSD version 4.0.  

Technically, Linux is UNIX, just like BSD or Solaris or SCO or HP/UX etc
etc.  You're comparing Linux to BSD.

>I am currently running Mandrake 7.0 and I was wondering if I purchased
FreeBSD
>4.0 how it would compare?  The general questions I have are, is the
language &
>commands generally the same, does it recognise RPMS, can I install
applications
>like StarOffice, Netscape & VMware, and would I be able to
download/install any
>programs from other CDs or the Internet?

FreeBSD uses the pkg system.  I only have experience with the pkg system
running on OpenBSD (it was ported over not long ago), but it seems quite
capable.

The command line operates much the same way, since many of the programs are
the standard GNU fare, with all the same arguments.  One thing I haven't
been able to get going is color ls (I think you have to use a different
program altogether, the version of ls with BSD doesn't seem color capable).

As for programs, look around the net, particularly at the ports collection
on <http://www.freebsd.org/> and the respective product pages for Netscape,
VMWare etc.  I really have no idea, as I haven't even installed XFree86 on
my system.  At this stage my system's only a testbed for OpenSSH, Apache,
Samba etc.

>Also I
>current run KDE on Mandrake 7.0, would there  be any changes in comparison
>to FreeBSD 4.0 KDE appearance or running? 

No, not really.  Certainly not in appearance.

>Lastly  does FreeBSD run faster than Linux?

Does FreeBSD run faster than Linux?  It used to claimed so, but with the
recent optimizations in the Linux kernel, the point's pretty moot.  Either
way it'll be fractions of the performance boost over Windows and other
crappy OSes.

I suppose overall I'd look at the BSD's as being excellent servers (being
arguably more 'mature'), whilst using Linux on the desktop (much wider
array of drivers and client-type software to run).

At 11:18 AM 4/22/00 +1000, you wrote:
>    Hello,   Could anyone tell me is there a shop, website or  person out
>there in Australia I could currently purchase FreeBSD 4.0, as all I  have
>really found so far is www.cdrom.com in  America.   Also someone give me
>the price in $AU as I have  only seen US$39.95.

The Linux Shop here in Brisbane (the suburb next to Capalaba, I can't
remember the name right now) sells FreeBSD, AFAIK.  $10, for an extra $3,
they'll post it to you, though I don't know about postage to the Sunshine
Coast (should be the same, but don't take my word for it).  Phone : (07)
3207 3106  

They seem to use better quality media than Linux Systems Labs, who have a
bad rep on this list (I read about their cheap-ass media AFTER I ordered
some OpenBSD 2.6 CD's from them, and the media was indeed pretty crappy, no
read errors.....yet).

Regards,
Christopher

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