For a while there, it looked like the BSD flame might be extinguished. Between the legal battles with AT&T and the fragmentation of the community, those of us who prefer the "Berkeley way" were starting to worry. But the release of FreeBSD 1.0, based on 4.3BSD-Lite "Net/2," is a clear signal: BSD is back, and it's free.
Why BSD?
A lot of people ask me why I bother with BSD when Linux is getting all the hype. For me, it comes down to maturity. BSD isn't just a kernel; it's a complete operating system. The kernel, the libraries, and the userland tools are all developed together as a single, coherent unit.
The documentation (the "man pages") is second to none, and the networking stack is the same one that literally built the Internet.
The Ports Collection
One of the most exciting things about FreeBSD is the "Ports" collection. It’s an ingenious way to manage third-party software. Instead of searching for binaries, you go into a directory and type make.
# Installing software the BSD way
cd /usr/ports/www/lynx
make install clean
The system automatically downloads the source, applies any necessary patches for FreeBSD, compiles it, and installs it. It’s incredibly elegant and far ahead of the chaotic way we install software on other systems.
A Solid Foundation
FreeBSD 1.0 is rock solid. While Linux still feels a bit like a "work in progress" sometimes, FreeBSD feels like a professional tool. It's the OS of choice for high-traffic servers (just ask Walnut Creek CDROM).
I suspect we’ll see a bit of a rivalry between the Linux and BSD camps in the coming years. But having competition is good for everyone. For now, I’m just happy to have a real Unix on my desk that isn't hampered by a "proprietary" label or a pending lawsuit.