FreeBSD as the only operating system for you

[dnb]

Is FreeBSD the only operating system you use? Tell me, what system do you use in dual boot with FreeBSD and why? Are you forced to use Linux distributions to make money? Could you be uncompromising and abandon systems other than FreeBSD?

Have you thought about refusing to use some feature if it's not supported by FreeBSD? For me, for example, such a [Feature] is CUDA/ROCM computing. I am faced with a choice: use Ubuntu, or refuse to compute using these libraries. But this is just an example in my case). I can easily set up Ubuntu (or Gentoo, for example) in an advanced style with a ZFS pull and other goodies, but these distributions don't seem quite as perfect as FreeBSD to me.

 

[LibreQuest]

I am only using FreeBSD.

 

[msplsh]

One of the reasons I like using FreeBSD is that using it makes other software reconsider their priors.
Being dogmatic is dumb and limiting. I use macOS, Linux, OpenBSD, and Windows.

 

[hbsd]

Yes, it's the only operating system I have. I don't have any other operating system in dual boot or on a virtual machine. I even use it at workplace and I passed all my college lessons with it, and of course I have a lot of fun

 

[cracauer@]

Have you thought about refusing to use some feature if it's not supported by FreeBSD? For me, for example, such a [Feature] is CUDA/ROCM computing. I am faced with a choice: use Ubuntu, or refuse to compute using these libraries. But this is just an example in my case). I can easily set up Ubuntu (or Gentoo, for example) in an advanced style with a ZFS pull and other goodies, but these distributions don't seem quite as perfect as FreeBSD to me.

You should be able to compile CUDA programs in the Linuxulator and I heard you can run them on top of the FreeBSD binary NVidia drivers. I didn't try it myself yet.

I use FreeBSD, Linux and macOS and I even have a Windows machine for games (unused these days). Also OpenBSD for portable programming. I rarely have dual-boot on a single disk drive. Prefer PXE for desktops and USB'ed SSDs for laptops. I have too many computers.

 

[zirias@]

Is FreeBSD the only operating system you use?

It isn't for me. But it's the only one I'm running on "bare metal" indeed.

I have a need for:

• Windows, cause I'm working at a Windows/.NET shop, so having some installation at home is nice for testing stuff, and I currently also need it for "Citrix Workspace" which is used here for remote access (although it should be possible to make the Linux version of it work on FreeBSD, but I was too lazy to try so far ....) – so I have a Windows Server installation running in bhyve and access it with net/freerdp.
• Linux
  • for the controller software of my Wifi access points. It's Java software, but contains braindead OS checks just preventing it to run on FreeBSD. Have another bhyve VM just for that
  • for my VPS (which among other things acts as my "public" MTA for my domain), just because the provider I'm currently using only supports Linux should probably switch one day

edit: I even initially planned to use OpenBSD for my firewall (which is also a VM here, I know the drawbacks with e.g. side-channel attacks, but don't want to pay the electricity bill for yet another device running 24/7) because I wanted to use pf for that, but back when I tried, OpenBSD couldn't bring up the network interfaces for the NICs passed through from the host, so now my firewall runs FreeBSD as well. After all, pf is available here, although not the latest version

 

[freezr]

I am still have a second partition with Linux but I'd like to get rid of it. It is there only as backup...

 

[SirDice]

Is FreeBSD the only operating system you use?

No. I'll use whatever I need to. Up to (but not including) selling my soul to the devil if it gets me what I need to do. There are limits of course, still bound by morals and ethics, or at least I try to

Tell me, what system do you use in dual boot with FreeBSD and why?

Rarely dual boot. I get annoyed by having to reboot my machine to look something up, or try something. My first PC did dual boot Windows 95 and FreeBSD until I got another spare machine to constantly have FreeBSD running. Virtual machines also became a thing (remember when VMWare was a simple program you could install?). That made me use dual boot even less. I do now, once again, have my new desktop dual booting Windows 10 and FreeBSD. Everything else runs 100% its one OS, Windows, FreeBSD, some Debian, AndroidTV, Android, etc. Basically everything except MacOS or any other Apple based product.

Are you forced to use Linux distributions to make money?

Not really "forced", I choose to do the job. But yes. I'm going to say, it's 99% of the professional work I do nowadays.

Could you be uncompromising and abandon systems other than FreeBSD?

No. As much as I would like to, it would honestly kill my income. No income, no nice place to live. No money to buy cool stuff to run FreeBSD on.

Have you thought about refusing to use some feature if it's not supported by FreeBSD?

No. Would I like to see such features be implemented on FreeBSD? Yes. But it has already gotten so far, I've started using FreeBSD some 25 years ago and I'm still using it now. On modern hardware. That's 25 years of progress in PC hardware too.

 

[_al]

I'm using FreeBSD, Debian and Windows as a host OSes running via grub. On FreeBSD I have Linux and Windows bhyve-guest OSes. On the Debian host, I also have VMware virtual machines (linuxes and windows). We are writing cross-platform software, which, among other things, must be tested on non-virtual operating systems.

 

[zirias@]

We are writing cross-platform software, which, among other things, must be tested on non-virtual operating systems.

Actually, as long as it's not specifically about hardware support (like, writing your drivers for your product), nobody in the industry is doing that nowadays...

 

[_al]

Actually, as long as it's not specifically about hardware support (like, writing your drivers for your product), nobody in the industry is doing that nowadays...

Exactly. We also write (among other things) device drivers.

 

[drhowarddrfine]

My company ran everything on FreeBSD and had Linux and Windows in virtualbox. The virtualbox OSes were for testing web sites in their browsers or to run one or two programs not available on FreeBSD directly and we couldn't get them to work using the Linuxulator (mostly due to laziness).

 

[fernandel]

Only FreeBSD and on my wife old HP 2000 laptop I have Haiku.

 

[taiwan740]

FreeBSD is my daily driver currently at home.

I use Windows 11 at work, I try not to dwell on it.

I admit I do prefer Xbox to Playstation though, despite my preference for the latter's kernel.

 

[MrX86]

i dualboot

work: freebsd / debian / windows
private: freebsd / openbsd


primary:
depending on the application what is needed.

 

[thinman]

All my personal server infrastructure is on FreeBSD now. I use Void Linux on my laptops and my day job is all Linux servers (though I'm hoping to start moving some of those to FBSD at some point).

 

[yuripv79]

I did run FreeBSD as the only OS on desktop back in '00s when I had a lot of free time (job wasn't exactly related to development). Then I got a full-time employment related to development in another OS (illumos), and now I'm running Windows 11 on desktop just so I'm not tempted to fiddle with FreeBSD instead of doing real work (or maybe I just became lazy and don't want to spend time on trying to run latest games in wine). I guess if I had a full-time employment related to FreeBSD development (one can dream, yeah), I'd switch back

 

[ayleid96]

Is FreeBSD the only operating system you use? Tell me, what system do you use in dual boot with FreeBSD and why? Are you forced to use Linux distributions to make money? Could you be uncompromising and abandon systems other than FreeBSD?

Have you thought about refusing to use some feature if it's not supported by FreeBSD? For me, for example, such a [Feature] is CUDA/ROCM computing. I am faced with a choice: use Ubuntu, or refuse to compute using these libraries. But this is just an example in my case). I can easily set up Ubuntu (or Gentoo, for example) in an advanced style with a ZFS pull and other goodies, but these distributions don't seem quite as perfect as FreeBSD to me.

For personal purposes i only run fbsd(gaming, internet, etc.....), for work i must have linux for kubernetes/docker(widely accepted container tech and overrated in my opinion)

 

[taiwan740]

Up to (but not including) selling my soul to the devil if it gets me what I need to do.

Ironic metaphor usage there considering the FreeBSD logo and mascot =D

 

[tthenrie]

To preface, I am not, by any means, adept at coding or even using the cli, but learning different OSs is like weight lifting for my brain. Currently, my primary computer is an 2015 HP laptop running FreeBSD 13.2-RELEASE. I have a 21TB NAS that is running the same. I have a 2014 Macbook Pro and an IphoneSE, I also have an old Toshiba laptop running GhostBSD in my workshop and a Linux box (Arch) that I use for experimenting with various VMs.
I started with FreeBSD back in 2007, out of frustration with Windows Vista, but have gone back and forth between windows, macos, and Linux since then. I recently returned to FreeBSD, because my small brain seems to understand it better than Linux and certainly the excellent documentation helps. As my Macbook Pro is on its last proverbial "legs" and there's no way I'm going to shell out $2,500+ for another Apple product (their planned obsolescence is the deal-breaker), FreeBSD is again my primary OS. It does everything I need and allows me to use my hardware until the hardware doesn't work anymore!

 

[Hobbes]

At home I have a 12 years old Toshiba laptop with FreeBSD and Debian (in a separate USB drive, I use it only for very specific tasks). I am amazed how fast the system runs.
At work Windows 10.

Android in the phone, but I am considering to buy a refurbished iPhone SE... nowadays it's almost impossible to find a small phone.

 

[taiwan740]

A friend of mine works as a Ruby on Rails developer - his company uses Mac OS primarily. I think using FreeBSD for Ruby on Rails development would be ideal for me, with a Postgres back end or something. That'd be nice!

 

[Ogis]

I use FreeBSD on two computers and Debian stable on the third

 

[mer]

For me it has always boiled down to what applications are "must have". For me, I've been using FreeBSD as my daily driver for a long time, probably since late 3.x days (dual boot with Linux at the time). It's only gotten better over time. Wife uses Windows because the applications she needs are only Windows or MacOS. Work stuff is Linux on the work laptop because that's what the deployment environment is.

But getting paid to write software, you quickly realize "whatever the employer gives you is what you use".

 

[jardows]

My personal use of computers comes down to personal preference. I like using FreeBSD. And while it may be an unpopular opinion in many circles, I actually like Windows 10. I really don't like Ubuntu. I unfortunately have to service MacOS often in my work capacity, and the more I use and service it, the more I come to despise that OS and Apple computers. My current employment makes any primary OS other than Windows cumbersome, though I have a secondary desktop that I run FreeBSD on with VM's for Linux and Windows for developing a USB utility drive.

If I were able to work for a living in the field that I really want to, I would have no requirements for OS (could probably get by with DOS and Win 3.1) If that were the case, I would be 100% FreeBSD for professional use.

As it stands, personally, I use FreeBSD for server, firewall, and one of my personal systems. I also use Windows 10 for personal systems. A computer is a tool, and if it gets the job done, and I can enjoy using it, I will!