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  5. FreeBSD vs Linux Kernel

FreeBSD vs Linux Kernel

OverviewDecisionsComparisonAlternatives

Overview

FreeBSD
FreeBSD
Stacks250
Followers196
Votes28
Linux Kernel
Linux Kernel
Stacks74
Followers81
Votes2

FreeBSD vs Linux Kernel: What are the differences?

Introduction

FreeBSD and Linux Kernel are two popular open-source operating systems that have similarities and differences. In this comparison, we will focus on the key differences between them.

  1. Design Philosophy: The design philosophy of FreeBSD and Linux Kernel differs significantly. FreeBSD adheres to a more centralized and strict design philosophy, focusing on a consistent and coherent system. On the other hand, the Linux Kernel follows a more modular and flexible design approach, allowing for more variety and customization.

  2. Licensing: Another important distinction between FreeBSD and Linux Kernel lies in their licensing. FreeBSD is released under a permissive license (BSD License), which allows for more freedom to modify and distribute the code. Conversely, the Linux Kernel is released under the GNU General Public License (GPL), which requires derivative works to be released under the same license.

  3. User Base: The user base for FreeBSD and Linux Kernel also differs. FreeBSD is commonly used in server environments and by experienced administrators who appreciate its stability, security, and scalability. On the other hand, Linux Kernel has a broader user base, ranging from servers to desktops, mobile devices, and embedded systems. Linux also has a larger community of users and developers.

  4. Kernel Development and Release Cycle: FreeBSD and Linux Kernel have different approaches to kernel development and release cycles. FreeBSD has a more centralized development process, with a core team responsible for developing and releasing new versions. In contrast, the Linux Kernel development is distributed, with Linus Torvalds overseeing the merge of changes submitted by a large community of developers. Consequently, Linux Kernel often has more frequent releases.

  5. Hardware Support: FreeBSD and Linux Kernel also differ in terms of hardware support. FreeBSD has historically focused on x86 hardware architecture, and its hardware support may not be as extensive as Linux Kernel, especially when it comes to newer or more specialized devices. Linux Kernel, being more widely used, often has better hardware support across a wider range of architectures and devices.

  6. Init Systems: FreeBSD and Linux Kernel use different init systems. FreeBSD uses the BSD Init system, which follows a simple and straightforward sequential boot process. In contrast, Linux Kernel has multiple init systems available, with the most popular being Systemd. Systemd follows a more complex approach with parallelized service initialization, dependency tracking, and other advanced features.

In Summary, FreeBSD and Linux Kernel differ in design philosophy, licensing, user base, kernel development and release cycle, hardware support, and the choice of init systems.

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Advice on FreeBSD, Linux Kernel

Jennifer
Jennifer

Mar 16, 2020

Needs advice

Netdata introduces Linux eBPF (Extended Berkeley Packet Filter) monitoring. With this enabled, monitor real-time metrics of Linux kernel functions and actions from the very same monitoring and troubleshooting dashboard used for watching entire systems, or even entire infrastructures.

This collector uses eBPF to monitor system calls inside your operating system’s kernel. For now, the main goal of this plugin is to monitor IO and process management on the host where it is running.

67.3k views67.3k
Comments

Detailed Comparison

FreeBSD
FreeBSD
Linux Kernel
Linux Kernel

An operating system for a variety of platforms which focuses on features, speed, and stability. It is derived from BSD, the version of UNIX® developed at the University of California, Berkeley. It is developed and maintained by a large community.

Development on the LInux kernel.

KMS And New drm2 Video Drivers; Capsicum Enabled By Default; New Binary Packaging System; Unmapped I/O
-
Statistics
Stacks
250
Stacks
74
Followers
196
Followers
81
Votes
28
Votes
2
Pros & Cons
Pros
  • 8
    Excellent as Server
  • 6
    Very Stable
  • 4
    Helpful community
  • 2
    Good for Cloud - Nextcloud
  • 2
    Extremely simple updates and compiles of kernel and use
Cons
  • 1
    Poor support for laptops, especially wireless cards
  • 1
    Slower to adopt non-server hardware than Linux
Pros
  • 1
    Sometimes you just have to write your own drivers
  • 1
    The best

What are some alternatives to FreeBSD, Linux Kernel?

Ubuntu

Ubuntu

Ubuntu is an ancient African word meaning ‘humanity to others’. It also means ‘I am what I am because of who we all are’. The Ubuntu operating system brings the spirit of Ubuntu to the world of computers.

Debian

Debian

Debian systems currently use the Linux kernel or the FreeBSD kernel. Linux is a piece of software started by Linus Torvalds and supported by thousands of programmers worldwide. FreeBSD is an operating system including a kernel and other software.

Arch Linux

Arch Linux

A lightweight and flexible Linux distribution that tries to Keep It Simple.

Fedora

Fedora

Fedora is a Linux-based operating system that provides users with access to the latest free and open source software, in a stable, secure and easy to manage form. Fedora is the largest of many free software creations of the Fedora Project. Because of its predominance, the word "Fedora" is often used interchangeably to mean both the Fedora Project and the Fedora operating system.

Linux Mint

Linux Mint

The purpose of Linux Mint is to produce a modern, elegant and comfortable operating system which is both powerful and easy to use.

CentOS

CentOS

The CentOS Project is a community-driven free software effort focused on delivering a robust open source ecosystem. For users, we offer a consistent manageable platform that suits a wide variety of deployments. For open source communities, we offer a solid, predictable base to build upon, along with extensive resources to build, test, release, and maintain their code.

Linux

Linux

A clone of the operating system Unix, written from scratch by Linus Torvalds with assistance from a loosely-knit team of hackers across the Net. It aims towards POSIX and Single UNIX Specification compliance.

CoreOS

CoreOS

It is designed for security, consistency, and reliability. Instead of installing packages via yum or apt, it uses Linux containers to manage your services at a higher level of abstraction. A single service's code and all dependencies are packaged within a container that can be run on one or many machines.

Gentoo Linux

Gentoo Linux

It is a free operating system based on either Linux or FreeBSD that can be automatically optimized and customized for just about any application or need.

Alpine Linux

Alpine Linux

Alpine Linux is a security-oriented, lightweight Linux distribution based on musl libc and busybox.

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