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ZDNET's key takeaways
- FreeBSD is one of the most stable OSes on the planet.
- FreeBSD is also more challenging than Linux.
- You can download and install FreeBSD for free.
I'm not gonna lie: I don't give FreeBSD (or any of the BSDs) the attention they deserve. The reason for that is simple: I'm a Linux guy.
But isn't FreeBSD Linux? It looks like Linux, it smells like Linux…
That is not the case here.
FreeBSD is a Unix-like operating system that is descended from the Berkeley Software Distribution. The first version of FreeBSD was released in 1993 and was developed from 386BSD, one of the first fully functional and free Unix clones on affordable hardware. Since its inception, FreeBSD has been the most widely used BSD-derived operating system.
FreeBSD maintains a complete system: kernel, device drivers, userland utilities, and documentation. This is in contrast to Linux, which only provides a kernel and drivers while relying on third parties for system software.
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Think of FreeBSD as a more challenging version of Linux. This operating system doesn't hold your hand, so you might learn a thing or two as you install it and the software you require.
Even for a seasoned Linux veteran like me, FreeBSD can often be a head-scratcher.
There's an old adage that goes something like this:
BSD is what you get when a bunch of Unix hackers sit down to try to port a Unix system to the PC. Linux is what you get when a bunch of PC hackers sit down and try to write a Unix system for the PC.
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Essentially, FreeBSD is Unix, where Linux is based on Unix. To that end, FreeBSD (and most of the BSDs) make for amazing server operating systems. If you were to ask any long-in-the-tooth geeks about server operating systems, they'd likely say that BSD is what you want. There really isn't a more stable operating system on the planet.
And that's one of the big draws to FreeBSD: it is as rock-solid as they come.
Sure, I talk a lot about how reliable Debian is, but even Debian can't touch the stability of FreeBSD.
Remember when I said earlier that FreeBSD maintains a complete system, whereas Linux is really just the kernel and drivers (although I often balk at that claim)?
To frame it better...
Imagine two companies that make cars. One outsources all of its components from other manufacturers and assembles them in its warehouse. The second builds all of its components and also assembles them in its warehouse.
As you might assume, the second manufacturer's cars most likely work and perform better than the first because it knows every part that goes into creating the car and can make all sorts of adjustments to improve every aspect of it. The first manufacturer, on the other hand, doesn't have nearly the control over how those components are built.
FreeBSD is the manufacturer that builds everything in-house.
Once you get FreeBSD up and running, you can absolutely rely on it.
Getting it up and running is the issue.
Before I dive into this, I've covered a different flavor of BSD, GhostBSD, which was actually much easier than FreeBSD. GhostBSD is to BSD what Ubuntu is to Linux, whereas FreeBSD is to BSD what Arch is to Linux.
Installing FreeBSD
Although the FreeBSD installer is strictly command-line, it's not hard. In fact, once you start the installer, you can accept nearly all of the defaults simply by hitting Enter on your keyboard. Yes, you'll have to type/verify a root password and then create a standard user, but that's pretty much the gist of the installation.
However, once the installation is complete, all you wind up with is an operating system without a GUI. It's all commands at this point.
Naturally, I decided to dig in and install the KDE Plasma desktop environment on my FreeBSD installation, and it was not nearly as easy as it is on Linux. Here are the steps I had to take to add KDE Plasma to FreeBSD.
- Install all of the necessary packages with pkg install kde plasma6-sddm-kcm sddm xorg.
- Enable/start dbus with service dbus enable && service dbus start.
- Enable/start the login manager with service sddm enable && service sddm start.
Once that was taken care of, I had a usable KDE Plasma desktop.
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However, upon glancing at the start menu, there were very few apps installed. So, I fired up KDE Discover, only to find out it wouldn't work. The reason for this is PackageKit, an open-source software suite that simplifies the installation and management of software packages on Linux systems. Simplify, being the operative word.
Unfortunately, PackageKit continually crashed, so KDE Discover was useless, and all app installations had to be done via the command line. Given I'm very comfortable with the command line, that's perfectly fine.
On a whim, I installed GNOME, but the GDM login manager wouldn't start, so I stuck with KDE Plasma.
A whole lot of learning going on
In the end, I learned quite a bit after my experience with FreeBSD. First and foremost, FreeBSD is definitely not Linux, but my Linux skills certainly came in handy. As well, FreeBSD takes some extra effort to get up and running as a desktop OS, but the stability you gain for that time spent is well worth it.
FreeBSD is also really fast. I've seen Linux perform incredibly well, but FreeBSD kind of puts it to shame.
With all of that said, am I willing to make the jump from Linux to FreeBSD? Probably not. The biggest reason for that is the simplicity of Linux. Everything I do in FreeBSD takes considerably more time than it does on Linux. Given how busy I am these days, I don't have the extra time to spend getting a desktop functional, especially when on Linux it "just works."
However, whenever stability is absolutely key, you can bet FreeBSD will be my first choice.
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