4/15/2018 Linux vs. BSD: Which Should You Use?

LINUX

Linux vs. BSD: Which Should You

Use?
By Danny Stieben / January 13, 2015 13-01-2015 / 4 minutes

Danny Stieben
562 articles

Danny is a senior at the University

of North Texas who enjoys all
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At MakeUseOf, we cover Linux quite a bit as the “alternative” to Windows and

Mac OS X. However, those aren’t the only three operating systems out there —
there’s also the BSD family of Unix-like operating systems, which are
technically speaking different from Linux.

In the name of fair competition, it’s time that we gave BSD operating systems
some recognition as well. And there’s no better way to do that than to
compare them against Linux. What’s different about BSD operating systems,
and should you be running it instead of Linux? How does Linux and the best
BSD desktop OS, PC-BSD, compare on the desktop?

How Linux and BSD are Similar

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4/15/2018 Linux vs. BSD: Which Should You Use?

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operating systems are open source and Unix-like, so a lot of the same
programs and utilities run on both of them. Even on the desktop, both
operating systems will look similar as they both typically run the same
desktop environments, including but not limited to GNOME and KDE. Firefox,
GIMP, and many other popular open source applications also run on both
systems.

So when you only try to look for big, noticeable differences, you’re not going to
nd any. It’s really down to smaller, behind-the-scenes details and the
consequences thereof that make the difference.

Kernel vs. Operating System

First of all, “Linux” is actually just the kernel that bridges the gap between
software and hardware. Linux distributions are made by groups of people (or
organizations) who bundle the kernel together with whatever overlaying

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software they’d like. Thankfully, the fact that every Linux distribution has
certain things in common (the Linux kernel, among other things) allows for
software that’s simply written for “Linux” to work on most distributions. Trending
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BSD, on the other hand, is usually an entire operating system and not just the Accounts From Your
Phone and Reclaim…
kernel. There are multiple BSD operating systems that do have differences
among themselves, but it’s easier and pretty correct to just collectively call
them the BSD family as they all come from BSD Unix.

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Which brings me to my next point: BSD operating systems are more “Unix”
than Linux is. Because of legal reasons, operating systems in the BSD family

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4/15/2018 Linux vs. BSD: Which Should You Use?

cannot actually call themselves Unix but just Unix-like, but they have a long
lineage of Unix heritage. The BSD operating systems, along with AIX, HP-UX,
Solaris, and even Mac OS X (via Darwin, which is based on BSD) can trace their
roots all the way back to the original creation of Unix.

On the other hand, Linux joins Minix as the only two operating systems that
are Unix-like and inspired by Unix, but don’t have any actual ties to the original
Unix.

Licensing
Then there’s the difference in licensing that Linux and the BSD family use.
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The BSD family uses the BSD license, which favors developers by allowing Pressure With These 8
them to take open source software, make modi cations to it, and then keep it Wacky Productivity
proprietary if they wish rather than forcing them to release their changes as Apps
open source (although they still could if they wanted).

It’s because of the BSD license that Apple could use various BSD
bits (including from FreeBSD) and create Mac OS X as a mixed source product.
Google was able to create Android despite using and modifying the Linux
kernel (and other GPL-licensed software) because they release the mobile
operating system as open source and don’t have a problem with doing so.

Vendor Support

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4/15/2018 Linux vs. BSD: Which Should You Use?

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Finally, if you’re comparing Linux and BSD as a desktop operating system, you
have to look at vendor support. When you exclude Mac OS X (as it’s technically
BSD, but from a user’s perspective we consider them separate), then vendor
support isn’t that great for BSD operating systems. It’s not bad, but Linux has
it better. Out of the two, the chances are higher that software will be written
for Linux rather than a BSD operating system. Graphics drivers are better and
more numerous on Linux (both proprietary and open source), and in turn there
are far more games available on Linux than BSD.

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PC-BSD, which is based on FreeBSD and is the easiest BSD operating system
to install for desktop purposes, is certainly usable and looks similar to Linux
thanks to the use of the same desktop environments. However, once you try
to do more and more, you’ll start to nd its limits.

Although Mac OS X has quite a few things going for it that other BSD
operating systems do not, it’s still not an easy win for Mac OS X when
compared to Linux.

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4/15/2018 Linux vs. BSD: Which Should You Use?

Mac OS X Yosemite, From The Perspective Of A

Linux User
Mac OS X is used as the poster child for a clean and elegant
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Technological Advantages of BSD

However, the different BSD kernels have many different implementations of
various technologies, some of which are proven to be superior to Linux.
FreeBSD is known for having a fantastic networking stack, and OpenBSD is
known for being about as secure as humanly possible. NetBSD can run on
more architectures than even Linux can, including a toaster. So BSD operating
systems aren’t bad from a technical perspective, but there’s simply less
support for them by third-party developers than for Linux. With enough
support, you can do whatever you’d like on an operating system.

On The Desktop, Stick With Linux

In the end, most users will want to stick to Linux for their desktops as there
are multiple reasons why Linux is better on the desktop. However, if this
article has made you more curious about BSD operating systems, then feel
free to try some out in a virtual machine or on a spare computer. It never hurts
to know what’s out there.

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What features of BSD operating systems do you like that they have or do
better than Linux? Why would you pick one or the other? Let us know in the
comments!

Image Credit: Forrestal_PL

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LINUX

8 Ways Linux Is Taking Over the

World
By Dan Price / April 6, 2018 06-04-2018 / 4 minutes

Dan Price
842 articles

Dan is a British expat living in

Mexico. He is currently a Senior
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Writer for MakeUseOf. At various
times, he has been the Social
Linux doesn’t only run on home computers. You will also nd it in some much
Editor, Creative Editor, and
more exciting pieces of kit. It’s particularly common where the proprietary Finance Editor. Prior to his writing
nature of Windows and macOS is not suitable. Let’s take a closer look at some career, he was a Financial
of the most unusual ways people and companies around the world have used Consultant.

Linux.

1. Large Hadron Collider

The Large Hadron Collider (LHC) is the world’s largest and most powerful
particle accelerator. It’s a 17-mile long circular tube that’s buried 175 meters
below the French-Swiss border near Geneva.

It’s common knowledge that the facility has been resounding success from a
scienti c perspective. But the LHC is also a computing miracle.

In its rst 12 months of operation, the LHC produced more than 50 petabytes
of data. The team needed 170 computing centers across 42 countries to
analyze it all in a timely manner. It is the largest distributed computing grid in
the world.

Linux runs both the LHC itself and the associated data centers. To be more
precise, the LHC uses a modi ed version of Scienti c Linux.

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4/15/2018 Linux vs. BSD: Which Should You Use?

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In 2006, the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) migrated its entire That’s About It (Review
computing operation over to Linux, including all the machines that track and Giveaway!)
planes while they’re on radar.

The organization moved from a proprietary form of Unix to Red Hat Enterprise
Linux.

The decision was part of a wider FAA decision to move away from proprietary
software and instead focus on apps using Java, web services, open-source
software, and Oracle products.

Fast-forward to today, and Linux is responsible for the safety of the 8,000
planes that are in the sky above the US at any given time.

3. Putting Milk on Your Cornflakes

DeLaval isn’t a name that many people will recognize, but it’s one of the
largest farm equipment manufacturers in the world. The company enjoys
annual sales in excess of $1 billion.

One of the company’s most popular products is its automatic cow milking
machine. It lets farmers extract milk from their herd using a wireless remote
control.

And guess what? Yes, it runs on Linux. The operating system is directly
responsible extracting the milk you put on your corn akes every morning!

4. Self-Driving Cars
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Linux is powering the self-driving car revolution.

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Since those early days, we’ve seen the creation of Automotive Grade Linux
(AGL). It’s a collaboration between car manufacturers, suppliers, and
technology companies in a bid to create a de facto industry standard for
automotive applications.

As of this writing, you can nd AGL in models from Toyota, Ford, Mazda,
Honda, Subaru, and Suzuki.

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Ever since the 2004 Indian Ocean earthquake and tsunami killed 280,000
people in South-East Asia, tsunami prediction has become a vital part of
public safety for people living in earthquake-prone low-lying areas. (If you’re at
risk, technology can help you survive natural disasters).

10 Must-Have Gadgets to Protect You Against

Natural Disasters
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droughts. The earth can be cruel. If you underestimate the
strength of natural disasters, you may nd your life forever
upended in the blink of an eye.

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6. North Korea’s State-Run Operating System PRODUCTIVITY

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Does North Korea have nuclear weapons? No one knows. But we do know that
the country has an impressive state-wide computer operating system that’s
based on Linux.

It’s currently up to version 3.0, but 2008’s version 1.0 remains the most
popular. An installation CD costs the equivalent of about 25 cents.

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4/15/2018 Linux vs. BSD: Which Should You Use?

The operating system includes Naenara web browser (which is a Firefox fork).
OS version 1.0 and 2.0 took their visual inspiration from Windows XP. Version
3.0 looks more akin to macOS.

7. Nuclear Submarines
In 2004, Lockheed Martin delivered a new nuclear submarine to the United
States government. The vessel’s sonar ran on a Red Hat Linux-based
operating system combined with Apple Xserve servers. It was a rst for
submarine sonar at the time.

Lockheed Martin chose Linux for two important reasons.

Firstly, it allowed the sonar to run in a low heat, low power consumption mode,
both of which are essential features on a submarine.

Secondly, the end of the reliance on embedded systems allowed the crew to
adapt to various formats of data and encryption while at sea.

8. San Francisco’s Tra ic Control System

In 2011, the city of San Francisco decided it was time to update their traf c
control systems. Given it’s the 30th most congested city in the world, it’s vital
that its traf c management systems are reliable. Waze and in-car GPS apps
just won’t cut it.

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The city authorities decided that Linux would power the system. It was built
around a Freescale PowerQUICC II Pro processor and was designed to meet

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the national Advanced Transportation Controller (ATC) standards.

Sounds great, but San Francisco now faces 25 percent more congestion than
it did when the system was implemented. Still, we’ll put that down to the west
coast drivers rather than a failing of the operating system.

Linux Controls the World

Clearly, Linux is everywhere. In this article, we not even touched on “fun”
everyday uses such as smart TVs, Roku sticks, Nest thermostats, Kindle e-
readers, and all the rest.

And even though we’ve only listed eight unusual uses, the wide variety of the
examples will hopefully give you an appreciation for how widespread the
operating system is.

If you’d like to learn more, read about why Linux’s actual market share is
much higher than you probably realize.

The True Market Shares of Windows vs. Linux

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