Originally posted by: notfred
	
	
		
		
			Originally posted by: BingBongWongFooey
i'm using netbsd as a desktop, starting about a month or two ago.  i don't know what the obsession is with trying to insult people for "thinking they are l33ter than you".  windows users say linux users are like that, and linux people say bsd users are like that.  i like bsd more than linux, of course i'm going to say something about it, just because people take offense doesnt mean i think i'm god of computers.  i didnt even have my own windows computer until about 1.75 years ago.  i'm not any l33ter than anyone else, i just like to learn, and bsd just feels alot more consistant and high quality than linux.
		
		
	 
How much experience doyou have with BSD, how much experience w/ linux, and what made you choose BSD over any other OS?
		
 
		
	 
i used redhat for a couple months sparingly, and then debian for a year straight (as my only os), and netbsd for the past month or so (maybe bit over a month) - there are lots of things about bsd i like.  these are specific to netbsd, as i dont like freebsd nearly as much (although my experience with it is limited)
CLEAN and SIMPLE.  the whole netbsd ideal is to find "solutions that make sense", not "fixes that work".  that sounds like a catchphrase or something, but it really shows in the OS.  
compiling a kernel - i download the source, copy the default config file to my own, edit it, run the config thing (only done it once so far, forget what its called), then make.  now, i have a single file called "netbsd".  i mv /netbsd /netbsd.old and cp netbsd /netbsd .  reboot.  no modules, no system map, no boot loader fuss, nothing.  cp the file to the spot and reboot.
cd burning - in redhat and others, this is taken care for you, but with distros like debian et al, you have to edit what modules are loaded for scsi emulation, edit your boot loader, reboot, and then burn a cd to your fake scsi cd rom.  in netbsd i burn directly to the ide cdrom, on the first reboot after installing.  in freebsd you burn directly to the ide cdrom, BUT you have to use their half-ass program called "burncd", not cdrecord.
packages - i like netbsd's package system alot.  its the same concept as freebsd's ports.  i can also get binary packages ala debian if i want. dependancies are handled for me.
seperation of power - there is the base install sets, and then packages.  a package can't remove my xlibs, because pkgsrc doesnt have control over that.  it only has control over 3rd party software in pkgsrc, and my x libs are installed via the install cd.  installing packages is simpler than debian and IMO better since the ENTIRE system is not just a bunch of packages.  installing packages is faster (if i get binary packages, i personally usually dont), and IMO simpler.  packages are downloaded from the real site (i.e. mozilla.org for mozilla), then a diff is applied, then its compiled and installed.  i've never had a package not compile.
it feels more UNIX and less gnu.  i like unix.  it is what i loved about linux, and what got me into linux.  i don't really like alot of gnu stuff.
MAN PAGES - i abhor info manuals, and netbsd's manual pages are absolutely excellent.  you never get that stupid "this manual page is 10 years old and incorrect, because we love info manuals! check out the info manual for this program!"
"the little things" - stuff i cant really think of off the top of my head, but i know theres lots of them.
userbase seems more intelligent and less evangelical.