Introduce yourself, tell us who you are and why you chose FreeBSD

Zurkin said:
Right now, my eventual home-server computer is installing FreeBSD, and once I've figured out the OS on there, I'll deploy it on my main desktop and laptop, it being the only OS on my laptop, probably.
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With this plan (and if your server is powerful enough), I recommend you have a look at ports-mgmt/poudriere to build your own package repository. Advantage: Build ports with the build-time options YOU like, but do it only on one machine and just install the binaries anywhere. Drawback: Building takes quite some resources :)
 
tommiie said:
I find this hard to imagine. What was not working with NetBSD's networking stack? Why did you consider OpenBSD to be slow?
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I am not the OP of this post but I too found openbsd to be terribly slow. I mean screen redraws were painful. I am assuming because I am running 4k video hardware but someone else mentioned that openbsd's strong suite was not its speed. I also found the openbsd installer to be terrible. FreeBSD has an awesome installer IMHO. No speed issues for me on FreeBSD - lighting fast.
 
Greetings,
I've been involved with computers since college in 1971. Fortran IV and assembly language on a Burroughs (model ??) using IBM keypunch w/cards, all output to fan-fold. Quite laborious relative to today's standards. Introduced to Unix in mid 70's on PDP-11 machines where I did some Admin and programming in shell and C. Sys/Admin, DBA from 80's thru 2010 on SunOS 3.something thru Solaris 10, Informix, Oracle RDBMS (7 thru 10). Also did Java EE dynamic web application development with Oracle SQL/PLSQL and NetBeans, Eclipse.

I'm in the process of switching 5 home built boxes from MS Win10 and Linux to FreeBSD. No need for a bloat-box loaded with a bunch of stuffing I'll never use on a machine I'm not totally in control of (ala MSWIN).
What I like about FreeBSD: ease of installation (20 minutes?), superior documentation, information resources (this well moderated forum for example), plus I'm in control of what I want on my machine and when I want to update it. There are many other plusses in its design and maintenance philosophy. I actually tried FreeBSD when it was first offered on CD-ROM several years ago and even went to FreeBSD Lite (whatever did they take out of it?). Eventually I was runing Solaris 10 at home so, I lost interest in my BSD box. Twenty some years later(?) and I'm back to FreeBSD.

I've been happily retired since the end of 2010 and spend much of my time wandering in the wilderness, hiking and mountain climing, carrying a portable home-built ham radio. Not much time spent on a computer any more. My computing needs are pretty simple: OS, wm (I chose xfce) and a handfull of applications (postgres, google-earth, firefox, thunderbird, stellarium, trusted-qsl, eclipse, gimp and open-office).
 
I'm a telecommunication student and semi-retired video effects artist. I had a particularly bad semester and went home to rejuvenate. In that time, I've taken to exploring imperative programming and basic system administration, as well as reading the literature on the history of modern computing.

I look forward to learning more about FreeBSD as a serious operating system and engaging with the community in the meantime!
 
cwARSw6 said:
What I like about FreeBSD: ease of installation (20 minutes?), superior documentation, information resources (this well moderated forum for example), plus I'm in control of what I want on my machine and when I want to update it. There are many other plusses in its design and maintenance philosophy. I actually tried FreeBSD when it was first offered on CD-ROM several years ago and even went to FreeBSD Lite (whatever did they take out of it?). Eventually I was runing Solaris 10 at home so, I lost interest in my BSD box. Twenty some years later(?) and I'm back to FreeBSD
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Pretty much a "me to" post, but probably okay in an intro thread. I'm about the same age as you with similar experience. I did Fortran on punch cards as an introduction to programming.

But yeah, it's the philosophy of design and organization of the system that really turns me on to FreeBSD. Wish I could go back and start with the FreeBSD CD instead of the Slackware one out of a big stack of of Walnut Creek CDs I picked up at a mid 1990's convention.

Back in the 90's FreeBSD was pretty obscure, not that Linux wasn't, but I gravitated toward Linux initially. It just had a lot more happening at the time. Didn't get around to trying FreeBSD again until a few years ago. Wish I had started with it because at this point I like it by far better than any other operating system.
 
I'm a happy Windows 7 user till someday it asked me to activate it, the screen goes all black. I was trapped to download an adware bundled tool advertised it as could reset trial for both Windows and Office (I don't use Office and only use the machine for waterfox web surfing so I don't want to buy license from M$ and I know permanently crack it is plain wrong so I go with the middle way, reset trial). It turned out to be my biggest mistake. After spending hours fighting the adware via Task Manager, end process and end process tree it's still reappears. So I knew I can no longer use Windows 7 for free. I've to buy Windows 10 license and reinstall or cheaper, go with Linux. I choose the cheaper way, I installed MX Linux and I loved it (MX Linux happy user since MX 16, now it's MX 18.3).

I started to seek for an alternative OS when I found I'm dependent on the distribution/Linux so much. It's very good but I want to find an alternative OS could run the same user space programs as Linux but not Linux. And I found FreeBSD to be the most close. I also admit I tend to customize the system to match the UI/UX of MX Linux and make it feels like I'm running on Linux. The first thing I do is install bash and ln -s /usr/local/bin/bash /bin/bash to let all my scripts begin with #!/bin/bash to work happily. I don't care about ports system (I only use binary packages) and unwilling to learn more about FreeBSD unless something forced me to do so. The UI/UX almost the same and I could enjoy both the original MX Linux and my own ... MX BSD ;)
 
arseniogut said:
Why?
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Paranoid? I'm used to do the same with Windows, seeking an alternative OS could run Windows apps but not Windows. Fearing a day if I'm so dependent on it, it stopped to work as I expected or introducing breaking changes, or... started to charge me for money? But ReactOS is nowhere as good FreeBSD. As long as the apps compile on FreeBSD and behave the same as on Linux I'm fine. After all it's all open source. If something provided as Linux binary only I will consult the Linux compat layer. If it just not run I just forgot it. The only Linux-only software I'm using is the SoftMaker FreeOffice.

p/s: And sorry if your brain explode when reading my post. You're talking with a non-English speaking guy has some serious mental problems. Try to parse it. My usage of English tenses is a mess and I acknowledge it.
 
I think I get it, English not too bad.

I understand where you're coming from, FreeBSD does have a really nice Linux emulator, but keep in mind most apps can be grabbed from the FreeBSD repository as binary packages or compiled from the ports collection to run native in FreeBSD. A lot of them are the same apps you see for Linux, just ported over to FreeBSD.
 
blackdog said:
I'm a happy Windows 7 user till someday it asked me to activate it, the screen goes all black.
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Possibly off-topic but do you own a Windows license? If you do then it is perfectly legal (in the UK) to use an activation tool such as a KMS server (or even an emulator) to activate your Windows install offline.

If this is something that might interest you but you cannot find a copy of the tool, then send me a PM.
 
Yes OT, but Win10 is much more liberal with licensing restrictions, it won't become unusable if not activated, probably the only real benefit of the "Windows as a Service" business model.
 
blackdog said:
p/s: And sorry if your brain explode when reading my post. You're talking with a non-English speaking guy has some serious mental problems. Try to parse it. My usage of English tenses is a mess and I acknowledge it.
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No worries!

I'm more paranoid than a conspiracy theorist, but GNU/Linux isn't going away anytime soon. If you don't have any FreeBSD-specific needs, why not use a BSD-style system like Slackware?
 
arseniogut said:
No worries!

I'm more paranoid than a conspiracy theorist, but GNU/Linux isn't going away anytime soon. If you don't have any FreeBSD-specific needs, why not use a BSD-style system like Slackware?
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Because I don't have to skills needed to do so. I love binary packages and apt very much. Luckily, FreeBSD has pkg ;)
 
blackdog said:
Because I don't have to skills needed to do so. I love binary packages and apt very much. Luckily, FreeBSD has pkg ;)
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But you can develop those skills. :)

I taught myself to use ports when I started now that's all I use. It not only gave me valuable command line time when I was new to FreeBSD but I learned how to fix build problems if they arose.

I love to use ports-mgmt/portmaster and always use it. It can streamline and make things a lot easier on you once you get the hang of it.
 
Hi all!

Since this will probably a place where I will be spending some time in the future, a short introduction is not misplaced ;-).

I work daily with privacy and security related stuff at a large National Research and Education Network. Primarily the security and privacy of education related tools/products/projects, but also a large federated open source privacy focused VPN service/project. I am quite familiar with Linux (mostly Debian, CentOS/RHEL, Alpine) but notice that I keep liking it less and less as time progresses. It keeps getting more abstractions that make the system less transparent for me (think of stuff like systemd). I am not a die-hard technical person, so I try to keep things simple enough that I can understand it. Also it seems no one can dodge Docker, but I'm very sceptical about its security model. Both of these combined made me realise that it was time for a change in the tools I use and provide to others.

I tried some more Linux distros (Arch, Slack and stuff) and OpenBSD and HardenedBSD, but must say that I'm really charmed with the zfs/jail combination. FreeBSD seems like the logical choice. I tried FreeBSD and HardenedBSD in the past, but was turned off because of the lack of pre-compiled packages. But since there is pkg now, that is a problem of the past for most of my use-cases. Also I already use FreeNAS for many years so zfs wasn't new for me.

Well long story short: I'm going to spend some time on FreeBSD to get myself familiar with it and when comfortable enough will probably migrate systems and services to it in production. In the meantime I hope some people will be able to answer some (probably also stupid/basic) questions I have during this process :).
 
Not new to the *BSDs, actually started noodling with linux and *BSDs back in the mid '90s as I was looking for alternative to Windows and MacOS. Over the decades and in my various jobs at small companies, university labs, and genomic research centers, I've set up clusters, LAMP, FAMP, file-servers with the LAMPs primarily based on RedHat or Debian. Also set up quite a few SSH bastion systems based on OpenBSD. In my current job, my company has primarily used RHEL in it's products...the choice of RHEL being mostly a "corporate" decision and not one necessarily based on merit or supposed support (I think I've logged one support ticket with RHN in the last 10+ years). However, I always linger back to FreeBSD and OpenBSD to at least keep "in touch" with it.

However, with the recent systemd encroachment I've been lobbying hard to ditch RHEL and find a stable, robust, well-supported and hopefully long-lived alternative to RHEL specififcally and linux in general. I believe the whole systemd debacle is both a symptom and a cause of the fragmentation in the linux community. Now, with IBM's purchase of RH, it throws even more uncertainty and possibly fragmentation into the linux ecosystem.

In this regard, going forward, I have much greater confidence in FreeBSD and OpenBSD in that they're "cleaner", more consistent, and more robust. Now, if I can get the same level of CUDA compatibility with FreeBSD as I do RHEL6 or Devuan, I'll be a very happy guy.
 
Truupe said:
I believe the whole systemd debacle is both a symptom and a cause of the fragmentation in the linux community.
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Started using GNU/Linux around the same time. I noticed the same thing happening. Hoped for the best and saw the worst. The systemd thing was a sort of a cornerstone at least in my opinion about it. Now I'm nervous to rely on it for the path it may take. FreeBSD is reliable in that I know what direction it's going to go. Though it's not without any downsides (mainly hardware support). At the least FreeBSD adheres to the Principle of Least Astonishment and that's worth a lot to me.
 
Ok Im Grafi
Im completely green in terms of bsd.
Im a long time linux user starting with slackware 9 who stick to vanilla debian for last 6-7 years. And try some others distro too.
Im not scare by cli environments and editing configs manualy. Bsd installer looks crazy (diffrent) compare to arch slackware or debian cli
Port systems is the sexi thing in terms of bsd for me.
I want to have ability to compile every little thing from scratch / source the way i want to.
No linux distro except gentoo (portage) or arch (in some way) give its user that option.
But im not a fan of rolling release systems ang gentoo is to complex to set up properly
On bsd it looks and feel way simpler
Next thing is that BSD is a whole system not just a kernel with bunch of programs that are added by different people then we call it distribution of linux
Im aware that BSD is not linux and im aware of some tech differences.
Different dir structure
different shell tools or if you prefer commands
Every network device have its own network config and interface (you change your card you must change configs and the interface name is diffrent ).
and so on
But im as noob and as green as it could be in terms of bsd systems.


So I do not want to be that annoying guy on forum that ask stupid questions.
I read the forum from some time.
Can you please point me direction for desktop oriented Freebsd info. Manulal partitioning for desktop /boot / /home? or /usr/home/user/name
Some parts BSD calog structure is a mistry for me
Yes i'm aware of Gost Bsd, True OS an things like that.
But the case is i wont to lern the system by everyday use as a desktop then as server when i will learn its anatomy.
Yes i know that Free bsd is not desktop oriented os.
Im currently reading a FreeBSD 7. Installation and configuration by Bryan J. Hong as my main help guide .
Book is grat definitly server oriented lack of some info but very helpfull.
 
Welcome Grafi - keep in mind that the current RELEASE version of FreeBSD is quite different than 7.0 so take what you read in your book with a grain of salt. There are some guides on this forum on setting up a modern FreeBSD install (12 RELEASE) as a desktop. It isn't hard at all, just requires manual work after the base OS install. As you have determined, FreeBSD does not hold your hand, but it is not difficult at all and very straightforward to configure.

Enjoy!
 
Since you are new to FreeBSD, I would strongly suggest you use packages first and then when you are comfortable switch to ports, if you need too. The only reason to use ports is to customize the options used when building a package. As far as I can tell, there is no speed improvement. Also, do not mix ports and packages or you will be setting yourself up for problems. Not saying it cannot be done, but stick to one or the other.

I haven't used AMD CPUs in years so have no idea but I am sure someone here can answer that.
 
Great Thanks for your replay.
now i be gone and back to RTFM and all other resources :)
THX again
Sorry for bad english
 
grafi said:
Port systems is the sexi thing in terms of bsd for me.
I want to have ability to compile every little thing from scratch / source the way i want to.
No linux distro except gentoo (portage) or arch (in some way) give its user that option.
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The general consensus is unless you use a lot of non-default options when building ports there's nothing to be gained by not using pkg. I have always used ports so it didn't even enter my mind not to use them in my tutorial, but you can follow the outline and still use pkg. You'll need to consult the Handbook on that part.

With your experience I don't foresee much problem you using ports. I love ports-mgmt/portmaster, it makes things a lot easier IMO. If it does throw an error where you have to step in if you look closely you should be able to figure out what needs to be done to continue the build once you become familiar with it.
 
FWIW, I had an AMD 6100; it worked great with FreeBSD the whole time I had it. I've been running AMD cpus for many years now; that was never a problem with FreeBSD.
 
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