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> Technical reasons to choose FreeBSD over GNU/Linux On the server/router maybe. For IT pros maybe. The desktop is a whole different matter.

iasay 4y ago
macOS is a fine Unix desktop to drive your FreeBSD servers from...
sgt 4y ago
On the desktop, Linux is going to be challenging anyway. Many people love that challenge and make it work, and that's cool. But my point is that if you can make it work on desktop Linux you will make it work on FreeBSD as well, given some decent skill.
- loeg 4y ago
  > But my point is that if you can make it work on desktop Linux you will make it work on FreeBSD as well, given some decent skill. As someone who has run Linux and FreeBSD desktops for years -- no, Linux on the desktop is actually quite a bit better and easier to use than FreeBSD.
  - gtirloni 4y ago
    > Linux on the desktop is actually quite a bit better and easier to use than FreeBSD. As someone who actually started learning *NIX on BSDs and later switched to Linux, I think "quite a bit better and easier" is an understatement. I tried the latest FreeBSD last year on a not so recent Lenovo laptop and it was a horrible experience.
- caslon 4y ago
  Desktop Linux is pretty comfortable and intuitive, actually. There's no challenge involved.
  - sgt 4y ago
    A guy I know (relatively skilled) spent a whole week setting up Linux on his laptop the other day. So I don't think it's always as predictable as to say there's never a challenge involved in 2022.
    - caslon 4y ago
      "Relatively" seems like it's doing a lot of work there.
    - prmoustache 4y ago
      Not sure what do you want to prove with that anecdotal point. I've seen coworkers spend a month or 2 with both their new and old mac or windows laptops because they weren't seeing the end of migrating their stuff from one computer to another and setting up their dev environment. Some people are just bad at this.
      - phendrenad2 4y ago
        Why are your anecdotes better than that post's anecdotes?
    - trelane 4y ago
      He should try putting OSX on the hardware. Wouldn't even start to work. Clearly OSX is not ready for the desktop yet.
      - phendrenad2 4y ago
        It's too bad Linux's success isn't defined as "Can be installed on as many types of hardware as OSX" then, eh?
    - unethical_ban 4y ago
      I just installed Fedora 36 on my Thinkpad. It went pretty smoothly. Single monitor, AMD CPU/iGPU. There are a few gripes about the discoverability of the keyboard shortcuts. Unity was good with this, holding down the Win/Meta key showed all the DE shortcuts. Also, there is not an easy way to change certain settings (like system font!) without installing an obscure package "Tweaks" that should be built into the system settings.
awuji 4y ago
I have been daily driving FreeBSD as a desktop since the last time this article was posted and I love it. It is super consistent and reliable, and after I got it set up, I don't have to worry about anything breaking. I can easily use it daily for coding and web browsing, and it feels as smooth and fast as a Linux setup on the same hardware. That said, I still have a Linux system for things like gaming, Cuda, and containers. Though, as I never have time to game anyways, I could just use the Linux system as a server. But, I've used Linux for 10+ years and it only started annoying me recently so I may also get frustrated with freeBSD eventually.
oleleo 4y ago
Can you watch Netflix on FreeBSD yet? That was what prevented me from switching from Linux last time I tried.
School-Cotton 4y ago
Ubuntu is clearly better for average people on the desktop than FreeBSD. (And I’d argue that macOS is in turn clearly better for most people than Ubuntu). But FreeBSD is great as a desktop for tinkerers — if you want something that’s simple enough that you can actually understand how it works, and whose source code you can quite easily jump into, modify, and rebuild, it blows Linux out of the water.

iasay 4y ago

macOS is a fine Unix desktop to drive your FreeBSD servers from...

sgt 4y ago

On the desktop, Linux is going to be challenging anyway. Many people love that challenge and make it work, and that's cool. But my point is that if you can make it work on desktop Linux you will make it work on FreeBSD as well, given some decent skill.

loeg 4y ago
> But my point is that if you can make it work on desktop Linux you will make it work on FreeBSD as well, given some decent skill. As someone who has run Linux and FreeBSD desktops for years -- no, Linux on the desktop is actually quite a bit better and easier to use than FreeBSD.
- gtirloni 4y ago
  > Linux on the desktop is actually quite a bit better and easier to use than FreeBSD. As someone who actually started learning *NIX on BSDs and later switched to Linux, I think "quite a bit better and easier" is an understatement. I tried the latest FreeBSD last year on a not so recent Lenovo laptop and it was a horrible experience.
caslon 4y ago
Desktop Linux is pretty comfortable and intuitive, actually. There's no challenge involved.
- sgt 4y ago
  A guy I know (relatively skilled) spent a whole week setting up Linux on his laptop the other day. So I don't think it's always as predictable as to say there's never a challenge involved in 2022.
  - caslon 4y ago
    "Relatively" seems like it's doing a lot of work there.
  - prmoustache 4y ago
    Not sure what do you want to prove with that anecdotal point. I've seen coworkers spend a month or 2 with both their new and old mac or windows laptops because they weren't seeing the end of migrating their stuff from one computer to another and setting up their dev environment. Some people are just bad at this.
    - phendrenad2 4y ago
      Why are your anecdotes better than that post's anecdotes?
  - trelane 4y ago
    He should try putting OSX on the hardware. Wouldn't even start to work. Clearly OSX is not ready for the desktop yet.
    - phendrenad2 4y ago
      It's too bad Linux's success isn't defined as "Can be installed on as many types of hardware as OSX" then, eh?
  - unethical_ban 4y ago
    I just installed Fedora 36 on my Thinkpad. It went pretty smoothly. Single monitor, AMD CPU/iGPU. There are a few gripes about the discoverability of the keyboard shortcuts. Unity was good with this, holding down the Win/Meta key showed all the DE shortcuts. Also, there is not an easy way to change certain settings (like system font!) without installing an obscure package "Tweaks" that should be built into the system settings.

awuji 4y ago

I have been daily driving FreeBSD as a desktop since the last time this article was posted and I love it. It is super consistent and reliable, and after I got it set up, I don't have to worry about anything breaking. I can easily use it daily for coding and web browsing, and it feels as smooth and fast as a Linux setup on the same hardware. That said, I still have a Linux system for things like gaming, Cuda, and containers. Though, as I never have time to game anyways, I could just use the Linux system as a server. But, I've used Linux for 10+ years and it only started annoying me recently so I may also get frustrated with freeBSD eventually.

oleleo 4y ago

Can you watch Netflix on FreeBSD yet? That was what prevented me from switching from Linux last time I tried.

School-Cotton 4y ago

Ubuntu is clearly better for average people on the desktop than FreeBSD. (And I’d argue that macOS is in turn clearly better for most people than Ubuntu). But FreeBSD is great as a desktop for tinkerers — if you want something that’s simple enough that you can actually understand how it works, and whose source code you can quite easily jump into, modify, and rebuild, it blows Linux out of the water.