Free BSD and OS

FreeBSD doesn't require a floppy with all your installation options. It can use an ISO that you burn to CD and then boot off that. Install instructions can be found here: http://www.freebsd.org/doc/en_US.ISO8859-1/books/handbook/install.html

I've used FreeBSD for well over 10 years, and Linux for a couple or more years than that. FreeBSD will run any Linux application, and using various "package" mangers, it is real easy to install additional applications.

But, I am a MAJOR advocate of FreeBSD, so of course my opinion will be biased There is a very large user community out there, that I find are often more helpful than Linux users. It seems Linux users want to belittle people who ask questions to prove they are more superior, where FreeBSD users will go out of their way to help to give the OS a good image.

As for stability, check out the OS's on this uptime graph and I think it should speak volumes: http://uptime.netcraft.net/up/today/top.avg.html (besides the fact that BSD OS's dominate, you'll also notice a large number are Japanese hosts, where FreeBSD is VERY popular.)

 

I load all my FreeBSD software from the package manager/ports collection in FreeBSD, so I don't actually have to go looking for it. It will retreive, configure, make, and install the software in one process. It's very nice. It definitely will be a learning experience, but once you get over the initial "*NIX" learning period, the rest is real fun.

Now am I fanatical enough to say you should run it on everything? Nope. I ran it for years as webservers/mailservers (I install it where I want a stable box that runs and runs), and as workstations where I wanted to keep my skills sharp. But, I never tried to convert my whole house to it, although for a while I did give the kids a machine with it installed on it (I've also given them Linux machines, and Apple machines too, just to mix things up for them.)

I don't think you can find a more stable OS than FreeBSD, but I think you can find an easier one, or a flashier one, or a more popular one

 

I would like to learn FreeBSD, but not too many 'good' books available.
Seems better than Linux, and way better than Windows.
But for home OSX is just simple.

 

It has one great book, "The Complete FreeBSD", which is downloadable for free at http://www.lemis.com/grog/Documentation/CFBSD/. Everything I ever need though I find on the FreeBSD Handbook online. Much of it is standard UNIX though as it shares the same roots with some commercial UNIXes (and is the same base of OS X's subsystem, which used to be referred to as Darwin, and may still be... dunno.)

When I first started using it and Linux, neither had any books.

It is in my opinion much better than Linux as it is a centralized development effort based on a core that is very stable and mature. But, to say it is better than Windows is like saying a an industrial heat gun is better than a blow dryer. Each is better than the other based on the particular usage.

 

THe only thing that I know about FreeBSD is that Mac OS X is based on it.
The more I use OS X the more I like it and there are some good books about using the unix features of it.
And of course you can run main stream programs like MS Office and iTunes

 

Well, I knew nothing bout it till now. I downloaded the book, already read bout a third of it, & am downloading the ISO as I type. What gets me is the speed, I use an older version of DAP, which splits dnlds into 4 parts & usually runs about 5kbps...well it's a 511 mgb dnld & running at 10 or better on just 1 file retrival! Been running bout 30min & already got 27mgb stored. Course I know it may drop speed at any time, but for dialup this is great!
I'm gonna install on a second hd I have on my system. As old as everything is it may or may not work, but won't know if I don't try. Sides I ain't too old to learn some new tricks! That way though if it crashes I souldn't have to re-do my win2000. Let ya know how it goes!!