[H-GEN] Free Solaris (was: package management systems.)

[Greg Black]

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Jason Parker-Burlingham wrote:

| Greg Black <gjb at gbch.net> writes:
| > Jason Parker-Burlingham wrote:
| > | Ian Pulsford <ianjp at optusnet.com.au> writes:
| > | > I do "make package" because FreeBSD builds, installs the software then
| > | > makes a package for me that I can put on another box.
| > | Phwoooar.  That's nice.  Does it work on just a per-package basis?  Or
| > | can I do a "make package" on all the www packages, for example?
| > Sure.  Just do this:
| >     cd /usr/ports/www
| >     make package
| 
| Okay, this makes me want to try a BSD again.

You could do worse :-)

| Kind of apropos of this, the Register says that Sun have started
| handing out copies of Solaris x86 for free, but Sun seems to want to
| get me to pay $20 (and download 3 CDs to boot).

FreeBSD CD subscriptions cost a bit more than that (although I
like to do it that way because the real CD's are handy and
because it contributes something back to the project), but it
really is free beer if you don't count the cost of bndwdth to
download it and wish to get it for $0.

| I'm still wondering if it'd be worth my time to get the CDs and a
| spare disk to install it, just to learn how to run a Sun box.
| 
| Opinions?

Depends where you are on your career path and where you plan to
go.  In my position, I wouldn't even consider it.  But I expect
Sun to be a significant player for several more years (perhaps
longer), and skills with their perversions^Widiosyncrasies will
no doubt continue to be marketable for quite a while.

Greg

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