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Old 30th March 2011
Vetus Vetus is offline
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Join Date: Mar 2011
Location: Bay Area, CA USA
Posts: 12
Default Well, I have specific tasks...

Quote:
Originally Posted by shep View Post
Based on your wanting to run various Operation Systems it seems that you are mainly building to experience different Distributions rather than to accomplish some specific tasks. Also some of the systems you mention have had newer releases - in particular Linux Mint 10 and PC-BSD 8.2 have recently been released.

The system that I use day in and out gets the newest hardware and the most stable Operating system that I can generate to get my work done. When I want to try out a new configuration or OS it goes in the older hardware. Multiboot systems have their place ($5000 CAD program that only runs on XP) but you only use one at a time on a single box (I don't use virtual machines). I wonder what PC-BSD does that LInux Mint does not?

I would also suggest that the experience of building a custom FreeBSD system (you should come pretty close to duplicating the Mint applications) will teach you a great deal. All distros usually have a hardware compatibility list and comparing the one you find on the MInt Web site vs the one on the FreeBSD site will be enlightening. In general Linux tends to support the latest hardware earlier than the BSD's.
but 'test driving' other operating systems takes priority above everything. Right now XP Pro SP2 is all I can use, and I'm very aware this OS is living on borrowed time. Detest Vista & Windows 7. My first and primary task is to find replacement for XP Pro before it goes 'belly up'. I can find more/better instructional books on the Ubuntu version (9.04?) that Linux Mint7 is based on, plus don't see anything Linux Mint 10 has that Linux Mint 7 doesn't...at least nothing I need. Same for PC-BSD 8.2. Just not interested in constant upgrades for the sake of upgrades (one reason to wave byebye to ole Billy Gates). The neverending pursuit of the 'latest&greatest&biggest&best' does not move me, but to each his own I guess.

As for what PC-BSD does that Linux Mint does not, I've no idea. If there were NO differences there would not be different BSD & Linux distros, nor loyal followers of each. Why do some like Dodge, some swear by Lexus, others favor Mazda...a car is a car, right? I won't know which I like best til I give them a trial! This will be my first home PC, and likely the last, plus my focus is on 'future-proofing', so there is unlikely to ever be "older hardware".

I have been trying to compare PC-BSD & Linux Mint hardware for months now. Not much progress....especially on chipset/CPU, motherboards, etc. Don't have much positive to say about Billie Gates but at least he has the foresight to make finding all necessary hardware info easy, detailed, and up to date!

Last edited by Vetus; 30th March 2011 at 10:09 PM. Reason: typo
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