[rhyous]

Hey all,

PC-BSD is getting a lot of news.
http://www.serverwatch.com/eur/article.php/3640151

Who recommends it?

Would you recommend it over linux?

[techieMoe]

Although I would certainly recommend PC-BSD over other BSDs (FreeBSD, NetBSD, OpenBSD) for a new user, I wouldn't recommend it over Linux. There are many more Linux distributions out there that have been focusing on new users for years (Ubuntu, Linspire, and Xandros for instance) whereas PC-BSD (and DesktopBSD) are the only ones I'm aware of that even care about new users. BSD has historically ignored "regular", non-technical users.

Also, in terms of sheer overall compatibility, there's a much better chance you can find a Linux version of commercial software than a BSD version. (Games are a good example of this.) Just my two cents.

[deanlinkous]

I would say both BSD and GNU+Linux have their advantages and disadvantages and if you are interested then check it out a bit. Dig a bit deeper to find out more of what makes BSD....well BSD.

I do not recall any BSD update that left me without X - and required non-technical users to become technical to fix it.

I thought most linux software could be run on BSD....no?

[bryansmith]

Originally Posted by deanlinkous

I thought most linux software could be run on BSD....no?

Most free software can and some commercial stuff under linux emulation but a lot of closed source stuff is restricted to Linux.

Bryan

[anomie]

PC-BSD is getting a lot of news.

Here's an article related to the iXsystems purchase of PC-BSD (mentioned in your article): http://www.onlamp.com/pub/a/bsd/2006...ms-pc-bsd.html

It's based entirely on FreeBSD, so it's already very good. PC-BSD's aim is to be a new-user-friendly, desktop operating system.

I say give it a shot if you're genuinely interested. Decide for yourself.

[deanlinkous]

Originally Posted by bryansmith

Most free software can and some commercial stuff under linux emulation but a lot of closed source stuff is restricted to Linux.

Bryan

I see. I did not know that. Like what? Can you give some examples please.

[mahlerfan]

Originally Posted by rhyous

Hey all,

PC-BSD is getting a lot of news.
http://www.serverwatch.com/eur/article.php/3640151

Who recommends it?

Would you recommend it over linux?

If I would rec it over linux, I'd probably also be over at the bsd forums instead of here!

What will you be doing with your OS? That will answer the question for you.

The software that I use is available on both FreeBSD and Linux, and Nvidia has a driver for FreeBSD that works fine as well so for me I can go either way. I prefer linux simply because I know it better. But that's just me, that's not you.

If you know what you do or want to do with your computer you can just determine if the apps are available for you in PC-BSD (by way of pbi or ports).

There are online engines for you to search both repos.

[monday90]

I have played with BSD a couple of times. I quite liked Freesbie. PC-BSD is very user friendly and provides a starting point to move on to more complicated BSD's. I think BSD (open BSD) would still be my personal choice for a web server.