Which BSD should I choose?

drasnordrasnor Starship OperatorHawthorne, CA Icrontian
edited March 2006 in Science & Tech
I'm a Gentoo user and really appreciate the simplicity that portage brings to the package management chore. I remember reading in the portage manual that it's functionally similar to BSD's ports. I've been meaning to give BSD a try but I can't really find any difference at a glance between the three variants: FreeBSD, OpenBSD, and NetBSD.

The troublesome part is I intent to install it on my Apple Macintosh Quadra 605. It's running a Motorola M68040 processor so I'm kinda restricted to variants with m68k arch support. I haven't been able to find any such support for FreeBSD which leaves OpenBSD and NetBSD.

What I want to do with this machine is just have a simple console and CUPS print server. I might go back later and do other things but lets keep it simple to begin. Any suggestions?

-drasnor :fold:

Comments

  • GHoosdumGHoosdum Icrontian
    edited March 2006
    I prefer the WinMe BSOD - it's the easiest one to obtain and yields a very satisfying level of frustration.

    Oh, you said "BSD" not "BSOD" - never mind. ;)
  • Slack3erSlack3er
    edited March 2006
    I'm no expert on BSD, but I have used FreeBSD and OpenBSD in the past. I enjoy using Slackware. :)

    I'm not use to port's, so I can't comment on that. The old fashion way is what I use, it may not be as good as emerge but it gets me there. LOL

    I was taught FreeBSD strenght is in its performance. OpenBSD is all security and NetBSD runs on too many archs. If you concerter Mac as BSD, some say its Unix done right. :)

    A quick look at the websites, looks like only OpenBSD and NetBSD supports m68k. PCBSD, OliveBSD or DragonFlyBSD doesn't support m68k either. :(

    As for which BSD you should use. For the first time, Open can be a like hard to install but gets easier everytime. Remember open has good security so features takes a back seat. The port collection is a little small too. Some say it has performance issues when compared to freebsd. NetBSD I really can't comment on. I heard it has good performance and supports lots of hardware.

    Sorry if that didn't help, I'm not the best to asker your question. But if info is misleading, please say, so I can learn too.

    Regards;
    Slack3er

    Edit: Personal I like OpenBSD more than any other, just because I like learning about security. Just give both of them a try and see what works best for you. BTW, I use the bash shell in linux, by default open doesn't come with it. So the ksh shell is like bash. Makes open easier to use. Just type: ksh
  • drasnordrasnor Starship Operator Hawthorne, CA Icrontian
    edited March 2006
    That goes a long way towards answering my question. Since it's going to be providing its service to a LAN, security isn't terribly important. NetBSD is looking like a good bet at this point.

    -drasnor :fold:
  • primesuspectprimesuspect Beepin n' Boopin Detroit, MI Icrontian
    edited March 2006
    If you ever want to put a box out there with an exposed static IP, though, OpenBSD is rock solid. Out of the box it is horribly secure, and patched it is damn near impenetrable- at least to your run of the mill script kiddies or bots.
  • drasnordrasnor Starship Operator Hawthorne, CA Icrontian
    edited March 2006
    An internet CUPS server... You know, it seemed ridiculous at first, but it seems like it would be more convenient than a fax machine. I could probably set up a monster firewall and password-protected CUPS queue but I'd be able to get friends and relatives to send print jobs from wherever if they needed to send me paperwork. Possibly an idea for another project...

    -drasnor :fold:
  • drasnordrasnor Starship Operator Hawthorne, CA Icrontian
    edited March 2006
    Gah, OpenBSD doesn't support LC-PDS ethernet cards. Well, scratch that. Let's try NetBSD...

    -drasnor :fold:
Sign In or Register to comment.