For desktop/laptop use, would you suggest something like PC-BSD or just rolling your own?
thinkpadder1
arpunk
@thinkpadder1 PC-BSD is fine and it has a lot of 3rd-party software available for installation but there is nothing wrong with plain FreeBSD. You can install a desktop environment like KDE or GNOME using the FreeBSD package manager. PC-BSD is friendlier to the end user though.
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drfreeze
Here is a link to deploying Phoenix on FreeBSD 11-0-RELEASE on Google’s Compute Engine. The setup uses nginx, Letsencrypt, Distillery and eDeliver.
8
RisingFromAshes
I’d recommend using FreeBSD over any Linux distro for a production environment for several reasons:
- Better integration of OS apps/utilities/libs
- Security audits/alerts/updates are thus more holistic
- Configuration just feels more sane and thought out
- Improved stability, based on the above
- Excellent features - from jails to network stack
- Great cross-pollination between BSDs - easy to a lib from another BSD in your preferred one.
- Linux compatibility
- Supportive community
- Bonus is, if you are using OS X, much of the userland/dir system, libs, etc, should appear familiar.
It’s why the general trend appears for companies appears to migrate from Linux distros to FreeBSD for their server environment.
If you want a desktop environment, then Linux may be the best choice still, but PC-BSD (the last time I looked), has come a long way), but my preference would be for OS X unless you are doing scientific work that requires Linux.
Here’s a link with a few of the big name organisations/companies using FreeBSD - from Apache Foundation to Netflix to WhatsApp: Welcome to FreeBSD!
Oddly, I find people new to Linux are often more apprehensive of learning and using FreeBSD, as many developers are of postgresql - choosing mysql over it, when my experience of Postgresql and FreeBSD are less frustrating, and FreeBSD much easier to keep up-to-date with changes/improvements and discuss solutions with the community.
If you want to build the next big thing, I’d suggest choosing FreeBSD over any Linux distro for all the above reasons, but if there’s something cutting edge that a Linux distro has that FreeBSD or any of the other BSDs can’t (yet) do, then go with Linux. Otherwise, FreeBSD will often take you further in regards to scaling, stability, and security.
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OvermindDL1
/me has been a big FreeBSD user for decades, but nowadays I’d recommend some Illumos derivative for all the same reasons, except Illumos containers are BSD Jails but done right. ^.^
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AstonJ
Your post makes me want to try BSD 
the ‘bonus’ is pretty compelling to, especially if it means it would be easier to get into:
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OvermindDL1
Illumos too, both Illumos and FreeBSD have the same root system type from the original BSD, thus the same filesystem and structure setup too, except Illumos has containers. ^.^
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DianaOlympos
Agree but sadly Illumos lack the documentation and tutorial that FreeBSD have.
I launched my own stuff to do more sysadmin stuff recently. I tried SmartOs/Illumos. Got stuck after 5 min. After 2 days of tryign to find answers, but only found dead link, switched to freeBSD. I will come back to Illumos/SmartOS for bigger things.
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OvermindDL1
Heh, most FreeBSD information works directly on Illumos as well, they have the same root system. The main difference in Illumos is that jails are baked into the kernel, into the very process struct itself, so everything is running in a ‘jail’, including the original login in the root jail. 
That design fixes issues that FreeBSD’s jails have, like non-segmented network, poor control of CPU and RAM usage, etc…
0
DianaOlympos
I know. But let be honest there is work to be done here. The system is really great but the community lack visibility. I would like to see the FreeBSD book equivalent for SmartOS.
I may do it in a couple year, but not right now.
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