this post was submitted on 24 Jul 2023
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I’m going to get crucified for this… for a desktop end-user it’s basically Linux with completely different syntax, lesser hardware compatibility and limited support channels.
I am certainly not going to crucify you for it. While FreeBSD is a fantastic operating system, its hardware support is lacking.
I really wish it was more popular. The userspace feels way more cohesive and the GNUisms of some Linux utilities is annoying sometimes.
I do as well but FreeBSD made a lot of self-inflicted wounds. OpenBSD on the other hand runs surprisingly well on a variety of hardware. It won't run well on the absolute latest but one or two generations behind it works gangbusters.
Do you have recommendations for where to get started with OpenBSD? The only BSD distro(?) I have gotten working with my hardware (Thinkpad X1 gen9, M1 Mac) is Nomad.
Simply get started using the OpenBSD FAQ. I think the Gen9 Thinkpad X1 should work. I just don't know if it uses NVIDIA crap. If it does, you're shit outta luck. As for the first generation Apple silicon, I don't know how feature complete OpenBSD is on that platform.
that’s the catch though: it’s more cohesive because it’s not popular… people work and design and finesse it into a standard… linux however is popular so has a lot of opinions going into it! and that reinforces itself: it has a lot of stuff so that makes it popular and it’s popular so that means it has a lot of stuff!
BSD is great for what it’s great for and Linux is good for… pretty much everything
It's because one of its tenets is POLA (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Principle_of_least_astonishment). I use it for every server I run (4 physical, 37 'jailed'). Desktop it's "OK" and can be hit and miss with a lot of hardware, I'll admit it. It works on my laptop perfectly, and on my desktop generally.
It's actually amazing they got this much hardware support. Heck, they even have Nvidia driver support. It could've been worse.
No that's 100% the standard take. FreeBSD is a fantastic operating system but it doesn't make sense as a daily driver for a personal computer
And less supported software! Open-source programs can often be compiled for FreeBSD but many closed-source and some open-source software won't work in FreeBSD. There is the Linuxulator, which is basically Wine but for Linux programs on FreeBSD but it doesn't have perfect Linux software support yet.
What's the benefit in other circumstances?
It’s rock solid. It also has a heavy emphasis on security. Numerous high-end network routers and security devices use it as the base operating system. Darwin, the open source foundation of macOS is also derived from it.