Any Solaris or BSD users out there?

I

ianmdev

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Just wondering if anyone has ever used either Solaris or BSD extensively.

Was there a particular reason why you used it over Linux?

I've been contemplating using them to add to my unix experience, but tbh I've not had the time or a compelling reason to do so.

Any one else done so?
 
Used FreeBSD 4.7 a while back, it's interesting but TBO I learned more installing Gentoo.
 
Have tried solaris it seemed So bland. Like just not for normal desktop use
 
Gentoo. Now there's an interesting subject.

Is it worth using gentoo? How much time do u spend compiling stuff vs actually using it?

i've always wanted to give it a go but... time...
 
ianmdev said:
Gentoo. Now there's an interesting subject.

Is it worth using gentoo? How much time do u spend compiling stuff vs actually using it?

i've always wanted to give it a go but... time...
Click to expand...

WTF? What has Gentoo got to do with BSD?

If you want an intro to Gentoo try Sabayon Linux.
 
ok OT, Gentoo has a powerfull install through SSL I found the most impressed with. Unfortunately the idea of Gento was a realy old PC, took roughly 3 days and never
got to use it much after that. Old PC broke which defeated the whole purpose.
 
I'm currently using Linux and Solaris 10.
Both systems run postgres or oracle.
Solaris on x86 really struggles to keep up with Linux. Much better on spark hardware, where Linux struggles again (i.e. can't find a lot of support).
 
I'm currently using Ubuntu Linux.
Might look at Solaris since it supports raidz natively.
 
Ive used FreeBSD 4.x in the past as well. It works nice as a server, not so much for Desktop.

Also, if you want to learn more about like by installing gentoo, consider installing archlinux instead. You will learn as much, without waiting for compile times, except for the packages that are not in the binary repos in which case you only need to compile those packages via AUR. (yaourt though automate all of this)

ps. Arch is Linux with BSD style scripts for bootup ect. so you will learn some things outside of the Linux scope as well.
 
I have tinkered around on BSD. I have two mates who only run it for servers but I think its stupid.
I much prefer the red-hat based distros for my servers. Ubuntu is fine for desktops but I dont like it as much for servers.
 
ponder said:
***? What has Gentoo got to do with BSD?

If you want an intro to Gentoo try Sabayon Linux.
Click to expand...

Actually has more to do with BSD than most would think.
http://www.gentoo.org/proj/en/gentoo-alt/bsd/index.xml

Regarding the Linux side though, what I'm really asking here is if anyone who uses Gentoo finds it worth the effort to have everything compiled from source.

I like the idea, but just wondered if the extra effort works out in your favour in the end.
 
Well there's pro's and cons, yes Gentoo takes time and that time is mostly your learning curve from reading the docs and doing.
At the end you have a machine with a kernel that you know is compiled to be the leanest possible for the hardware, and GPL programs that will not run any better than what you have done.

On the other hand, if you have no use for that machine then the time is generally wasted. You end up with an OS that boots and that's about it, upto you to turn it into a server or a desktop / router or whatever.

Otherwise you at least end up with valuable insight into how the nitty gritty of Linux operates, which is worth it in the end. It depends on your outlook really.
 
ponder said:
Technically speaking when you remove the BSD userland stuff it ends up not being BSD. They are just using the kernel, Debian and others have similar projects. Using the BSD kernel does not make it BSD unlike Linux which is just a kernel (GNU Linux being a distro)
Click to expand...

Haha I smell flamewars :)

rms vs linus ... :D
 
ianmdev said:
Actually has more to do with BSD than most would think.
http://www.gentoo.org/proj/en/gentoo-alt/bsd/index.xml

Regarding the Linux side though, what I'm really asking here is if anyone who uses Gentoo finds it worth the effort to have everything compiled from source.

I like the idea, but just wondered if the extra effort works out in your favour in the end.
Click to expand...

The primary advantage of Gentoo was (haven't used it in years) the scope of portage and the ease of getting the latest versions of certain packages. The primary disadvantage was that portage was often broken in painful ways (when I stopped using Gentoo a world update would hardly ever complete without breaking something).

The compile time isn't much of an issue after the initial install, and the larger packages tend to have binaries available if you prefer.

Edit: Another benefit of portage was if you wanted certain compile flags set in a package, it was easier to do than other package management systems.
 
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