[SWLUG] Linux Distros and/or FreeBSD

[Dave Cridland]

On Wed May 16 12:42:04 2007, Davage, Marcus wrote:
> I don't want to start a flame war

Aw. :-)

> I tried Ubuntu from a mag's DVD - it was OK, but it didn't come 
> with much,
> and you can't choose which DM you want.

Right, Ubuntu is geared toward removing decisions like that. On the 
other hand, it does have a lot of software around for it, you just 
need to download it, usually from the "universe".

> Is there a distro out there where I can just download an 
> application (or a
> new release of an application) and not worry about libs and sources 
> and
> stuff, or is that part of the whole Linux thing?
> 
> 
Debian might suit you.

Ubuntu is a custom Debian, so anything Ubuntu can do, Debian can also 
do, but it's not intended to have a restricted set of supported 
packages, like Ubuntu.

> What about Free BSD? Is that any different? Can anyone give a 
> personal
> opinion on Lilnux vs. FreeBSD and why one over the other?

Linux is very user-friendly compared to FreeBSD. On the other hand, 
many people say that FreeBSD is better suited to server tasks - 
although given that the Mac is FreeBSD, you could say it does okay in 
the desktop market too. I've never tried FreeBSD, however, even on a 
Mac, so I'm not really qualified to make a proper comparison.

In case you wonder, I've never tried it because Linux does everything 
I need it to.

Dave.
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