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Linux is often the best tool for the job, but the BSDs have their place. FreeBSD is a very good server OS. It supports ZFS and Dtrace right out of the box. A

Linux is often the best tool for the job, but the BSDs have their place. FreeBSD is a very good server OS. It supports ZFS and Dtrace right out of the box. Also it supports both binary packages via pkg and source based packages via the ports system. It also feels lighter on resources than typical Linux distros which is nice for older systems. OpenBSD is an excellent router OS thanks to PF. It is more powerful than Linux for this purpose. Also the security track record for the default install is pretty much unrivaled. NetBSD runs on a lot of obscure hardware that Linux doesn't support. It is the best tool for the job for reviving old otherwise unusable hardware. pkgsrc is also a very cool package management system that is not only supported on every architecture that NetBSD supports, but several other operating systems like Linux, macOS, and Solaris/OpenSolaris/Illumos/etc.

Affric 4y ago
My all time Theo (OpenBSD maintainer) interaction, in response to why OpenBSD wasn't affected by TLBleed: >We didn't chase the fad of using every Intel cpu feature.[1] The dedication to security is unparalleled. [1]https://marc.info/?l=openbsd-misc&m=152600018515730&w=2 https://marc.info/?l=openbsd-misc&m=152600018515730&w=2
pjmlp 4y ago
UNIX is a good headless server OS, that is about it.
- happymellon 4y ago
  Pretty sure Mac users would disagree.
  - pjmlp 4y ago
    Only those that buy macs instead of paying GNU/Linux OEMs, and then complain macOS isn't Linux. "Why We Have to Make UNIX Invisible." https://www.usenix.org/blog/vault-steve-jobs-keynotes-1987-usenix-atc https://www.usenix.org/blog/vault-steve-jobs-keynotes-1987-u... "They said a Unix weenie was code for software engineers who hated what we were doing to Unix (the operating system we licensed)—putting a graphical user interface on it to dumb it down for grandmothers. They heckled Steve about his efforts to destroy it. His nightmare would be to speak to a crowd of them." https://web.archive.org/web/20180628214613/https://www.cake.co/conversations/rZXhqtP/that-time-i-had-steve-jobs-keynote-at-unix-expo https://web.archive.org/web/20180628214613/https://www.cake....
mekster 4y ago
> FreeBSD is a very good server OS. It supports ZFS and Dtrace right out of the box. zfs is easily achievable with Ubuntu. Dtrace isn't required by typical users. > Also it supports both binary packages via pkg and source based packages via the ports system. It also feels lighter on resources than typical Linux distros which is nice for older systems. Doesn't sound like any practical advantage at all. > OpenBSD is an excellent router OS thanks to PF. It is more powerful than Linux for this purpose. Also the security track record for the default install is pretty much unrivaled. PF is the only practical advantage of BSD over Linux but then again, unless you're running a router, you only need simple rules which can be done with any tools easily like ufw or even use cloud service control panel based ones. > NetBSD runs on a lot of obscure hardware that Linux doesn't support. It is the best tool for the job for reviving old otherwise unusable hardware. pkgsrc is also a very cool package management system that is not only supported on every architecture that NetBSD supports, but several other operating systems like Linux, macOS, and Solaris/OpenSolaris/Illumos/etc. Nothing practical. On the other hand, not being able to run docker kills BSD's use by not being able to run any service easily hosted on docker hub. And slight difference in CLI tools and shell behaviors kill all the little scripts you've written which makes it feel lazy to maintain scripts that work on both Linux and BSD. Quite hell of a job to maintain Ansible scripts that can create an identical environment on Linux and BSD. I tried to like BSD but now it's dead in me.

Affric 4y ago

My all time Theo (OpenBSD maintainer) interaction, in response to why OpenBSD wasn't affected by TLBleed: >We didn't chase the fad of using every Intel cpu feature.[1] The dedication to security is unparalleled. [1]https://marc.info/?l=openbsd-misc&m=152600018515730&w=2 https://marc.info/?l=openbsd-misc&m=152600018515730&w=2

pjmlp 4y ago

UNIX is a good headless server OS, that is about it.

happymellon 4y ago
Pretty sure Mac users would disagree.
- pjmlp 4y ago
  Only those that buy macs instead of paying GNU/Linux OEMs, and then complain macOS isn't Linux. "Why We Have to Make UNIX Invisible." https://www.usenix.org/blog/vault-steve-jobs-keynotes-1987-usenix-atc https://www.usenix.org/blog/vault-steve-jobs-keynotes-1987-u... "They said a Unix weenie was code for software engineers who hated what we were doing to Unix (the operating system we licensed)—putting a graphical user interface on it to dumb it down for grandmothers. They heckled Steve about his efforts to destroy it. His nightmare would be to speak to a crowd of them." https://web.archive.org/web/20180628214613/https://www.cake.co/conversations/rZXhqtP/that-time-i-had-steve-jobs-keynote-at-unix-expo https://web.archive.org/web/20180628214613/https://www.cake....

mekster 4y ago

> FreeBSD is a very good server OS. It supports ZFS and Dtrace right out of the box. zfs is easily achievable with Ubuntu. Dtrace isn't required by typical users. > Also it supports both binary packages via pkg and source based packages via the ports system. It also feels lighter on resources than typical Linux distros which is nice for older systems. Doesn't sound like any practical advantage at all. > OpenBSD is an excellent router OS thanks to PF. It is more powerful than Linux for this purpose. Also the security track record for the default install is pretty much unrivaled. PF is the only practical advantage of BSD over Linux but then again, unless you're running a router, you only need simple rules which can be done with any tools easily like ufw or even use cloud service control panel based ones. > NetBSD runs on a lot of obscure hardware that Linux doesn't support. It is the best tool for the job for reviving old otherwise unusable hardware. pkgsrc is also a very cool package management system that is not only supported on every architecture that NetBSD supports, but several other operating systems like Linux, macOS, and Solaris/OpenSolaris/Illumos/etc. Nothing practical. On the other hand, not being able to run docker kills BSD's use by not being able to run any service easily hosted on docker hub. And slight difference in CLI tools and shell behaviors kill all the little scripts you've written which makes it feel lazy to maintain scripts that work on both Linux and BSD. Quite hell of a job to maintain Ansible scripts that can create an identical environment on Linux and BSD. I tried to like BSD but now it's dead in me.