14.4 is a maintenance release. If you're installing FreeBSD today, use 15.0
Why FreeBSD ?
- Well manicured OS, excellent docs. More performant than OpenBSD in every way and approaches Linux performance in some areas (e.g. Networking)
- FreeBSD tends to have fewer features in almost all areas compared to Linux which makes it more approachable and more difficult to mess up.
- Though it has fewer features, it still has a lot of features -- many big companies (Netflix most famously) still use it today for critical functions.
- FreeBSD Kernel and Userland developed together -- it has got that undefined "cohesive" feel
- Has less layers of abstraction than Linux, gets the job done. Because there are fewer layers it's easier to understand what is going on and potentially easier to fix.
- FreeBSD is great if you want to learn pf, zfs, ...
- Worth your while if you are bored of the Linux monoculture and just want to try something a bit different (but not tooo different)
- Changes slowly, so good for setting up on a server that you want to just leave running without too much maintenance
- Will increase your Linux skills because diversity always helps the human brain
- Very simple daemon configuration via /etc/rc.conf
- FreeBSD still has that warm fuzzy small "community" feel which I like
Yea!, as far as I understand, with p9fs now a simple zfs dataset can be shared with the VM, removing the need of ZVOLs (a ZVOL for the boot disk isn't an issue, but for example a data disk of 1tb is difficult to manage).
14.4 is a maintenance release. If you're installing FreeBSD today, use 15.0
Why FreeBSD ?
- Well manicured OS, excellent docs. More performant than OpenBSD in every way and approaches Linux performance in some areas (e.g. Networking)
- FreeBSD tends to have fewer features in almost all areas compared to Linux which makes it more approachable and more difficult to mess up.
- Though it has fewer features, it still has a lot of features -- many big companies (Netflix most famously) still use it today for critical functions.
- FreeBSD Kernel and Userland developed together -- it has got that undefined "cohesive" feel
- Has less layers of abstraction than Linux, gets the job done. Because there are fewer layers it's easier to understand what is going on and potentially easier to fix.
- FreeBSD is great if you want to learn pf, zfs, ...
- Worth your while if you are bored of the Linux monoculture and just want to try something a bit different (but not tooo different)
- Changes slowly, so good for setting up on a server that you want to just leave running without too much maintenance
- Will increase your Linux skills because diversity always helps the human brain
- Very simple daemon configuration via /etc/rc.conf
- FreeBSD still has that warm fuzzy small "community" feel which I like
If you're installing FreeBSD today, use 15.0
Or just run -current in production, like we do. See https://people.freebsd.org/~gallatin/talks/OpenFest2023.pdf
Or https://papers.freebsd.org/2019/fosdem/looney-netflix_and_fr...
Yes, FreeBSD current is quite usable. It's fun to start using the new features as they are added to kernel and userland immediately !
I heard, that BSD is dying...
NetBSD - situation does not seem that good. Project feels less active now.
OpenBSD - has a fanatical band of security obsessed users. Not going away anytime soon.
FreeBSD - It chugs along. Why is FreeBSD worth trying out ? See my reply above.
Congratulations to the FreeBSD team! FreeBSD will always have a special place in my heart.
> Bhyve virtual machines can now share a filesystem with the host via the new p9fs
Nice!
Wild! Fun to see 9p filesystem protocol continue to have a life in this form.
Yea!, as far as I understand, with p9fs now a simple zfs dataset can be shared with the VM, removing the need of ZVOLs (a ZVOL for the boot disk isn't an issue, but for example a data disk of 1tb is difficult to manage).
It's the duct tape of filesystem protocols, in a good way.