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The base installation of FreeBSD is, very purposefully, lean and mean - it contains very few pre-installed services other than those absolutely necessary to operate the machine. FreeBSD sysadmins are encouraged instead to install their own services, whether from the [[ports tree]] or elsewhere, choosing for themselves which software packages suit their needs best.   
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The base installation of FreeBSD is meant to be lean and mean. It only contains the services absolutely necessary to operate the machine. Then, FreeBSD sysadmins are encouraged to install their own services, whether from the [[ports tree]] or elsewhere, choosing for themselves which software packages suit their needs.   
  
For example, any given webmaster will of course need a webserver - but for different situations, different types of webserver are more or less appropriate. Some may need the compatibility with older plug-ins of the [[Apache]] 1.x family, while others will want the greater security and speed of the [[Apache]] 2.x family, and others yet may need the ultimate speed and efficiency (at the sacrifice of CGI capability) of the [[thttpd]] family - and under FreeBSD, it is very easy and "normal" to use any or all of the above, or even switch between them with minimal pain and heartache.
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For example, any webmaster will need a webserver but choosing which one depends on the needs. Some may need compatibility with older plug-ins from the [[Apache]] 1.x family while others will want the greater security and speed of the [[Apache]] 2.x family. Still others may need the highest speed and efficiency (but without CGI capability) found in the [[thttpd]] family. With FreeBSD it's easy, normal and even expected to pick and choose or even switch, with minimal pain, heartache or downtime.
  
This is not just true of webservers, but also FTP, DNS, mail, ssh, X-Windows components, and just about anything else you care to name. Even those services which do have a default system installation (such as [[sendmail]] for mail services) are specifically designed to be simply and easily replaced in a modular fashion with any alternate service that the system administrator may choose; for example you may replace [[sendmail]] with [[qmail]] with a single command: '''cd /usr/ports/mail/qmail && make install && make disable-sendmail && make install-qmail clean'''.  (Of course, you'd also need to ''configure'' qmail after doing that, so don't just blindly replace sendmail now after reading this line unless you're ready to learn a new system.)
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Likewise, this holds true for FTP, DNS, mail, ssh, X-Window components and almost anything else. Even those services which do have a default system installation (such as [[sendmail]] for mail services) are designed to be easily swapped out with any other service the system administrator may choose. For example [[sendmail]] can easily be replaced by [[qmail]]:
  
This is in stark contrast not only to Microsoft Windows, in which you are generally bound with iron chain to whatever Microsoft provided you in the way of system services, but also to many GNU/Linux variants. For example, veteran '''Red Hat Linux''' admins are very familiar with the idea that Apache 1.x "goes with" Red Hat 7, whereas Apache 2.x "goes with" Red Hat 8, and it can be something of a dire mess to try to change from one to the other - and upgrading your base system is likely to willy-nilly change your services whether you want it to or not.
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  cd /usr/ports/mail/qmail && make install && make disable-sendmail && make install-qmail clean
  
FreeBSD tries, and in general succeeds pretty well, in drawing a more concrete line between the base system and optional services. Not only is it easy to install whatever type of service you like from whichever vendor or group that you like, you don't have to sweat that upgrading your version of FreeBSD will suddenly make the service you depend on inoperable either.
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'''Please be aware though''', one must ''configure'' qmail after doing that so please don't be rash and blindly replace sendmail after reading this without being ready to learn a new system.
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This is all in stark contrast not only with Microsoft Windows, in which sysadmins and users alike are tightly bound to whatever Microsoft provided in the way of system services, but with many GNU/Linux flavours too. For example, veteran '''Red Hat Linux''' admins are familiar with the notion that Apache 1.x "goes with" Red Hat 7, but Apache 2.x "goes with" Red Hat 8 and so on. It can be a rather daunting, canny mess to try changing from one to the other. What's more, upgrading a base Microsoft or Linux system is likely to blindly change a system's services like it or not and meanwhile, upgrading the OS can make needed (and maybe mission-critical) services inoperable and comes with widely known risks, downtime and often, unhappiness.
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FreeBSD mostly succeeds in drawing a much sharper line between the base system and optional services. It's easy to install whatever type of service is wanted from whichever vendor or group chosen, open source or not.
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Moreover, FreeBSD is truly open and free. For highly specialized projects the source code itself can be studied and modified. While this step is not taken by most FreeBSD users, it's a comfort.
  
 
[[Category:Why FreeBSD?]]
 
[[Category:Why FreeBSD?]]

Latest revision as of 18:18, 14 September 2007

The base installation of FreeBSD is meant to be lean and mean. It only contains the services absolutely necessary to operate the machine. Then, FreeBSD sysadmins are encouraged to install their own services, whether from the ports tree or elsewhere, choosing for themselves which software packages suit their needs.

For example, any webmaster will need a webserver but choosing which one depends on the needs. Some may need compatibility with older plug-ins from the Apache 1.x family while others will want the greater security and speed of the Apache 2.x family. Still others may need the highest speed and efficiency (but without CGI capability) found in the thttpd family. With FreeBSD it's easy, normal and even expected to pick and choose or even switch, with minimal pain, heartache or downtime.

Likewise, this holds true for FTP, DNS, mail, ssh, X-Window components and almost anything else. Even those services which do have a default system installation (such as sendmail for mail services) are designed to be easily swapped out with any other service the system administrator may choose. For example sendmail can easily be replaced by qmail:

cd /usr/ports/mail/qmail && make install && make disable-sendmail && make install-qmail clean 

Please be aware though, one must configure qmail after doing that so please don't be rash and blindly replace sendmail after reading this without being ready to learn a new system.

This is all in stark contrast not only with Microsoft Windows, in which sysadmins and users alike are tightly bound to whatever Microsoft provided in the way of system services, but with many GNU/Linux flavours too. For example, veteran Red Hat Linux admins are familiar with the notion that Apache 1.x "goes with" Red Hat 7, but Apache 2.x "goes with" Red Hat 8 and so on. It can be a rather daunting, canny mess to try changing from one to the other. What's more, upgrading a base Microsoft or Linux system is likely to blindly change a system's services like it or not and meanwhile, upgrading the OS can make needed (and maybe mission-critical) services inoperable and comes with widely known risks, downtime and often, unhappiness.

FreeBSD mostly succeeds in drawing a much sharper line between the base system and optional services. It's easy to install whatever type of service is wanted from whichever vendor or group chosen, open source or not.

Moreover, FreeBSD is truly open and free. For highly specialized projects the source code itself can be studied and modified. While this step is not taken by most FreeBSD users, it's a comfort.

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