BSD Computers

Paul Schmehl pauls at utdallas.edu
Mon Apr 21 02:13:14 UTC 2008


--On April 20, 2008 7:13:19 PM -0700 Jerry Rukavina 
<j.rukavina at attalin.com> wrote:

> Hi,
>
> I can’t find any out of the box computers that have FreeBSD loaded. Do
> you know which computer manufactures, both laptop and desktop, which can
> run FreeBSD? Do you recommend any particular models or know of which
> ones are more highly regarded? What about support? I am a newbie and
> would need some handholding. I will be using the computer to run a small
> business and online research. I would need the regular suite of
> productivity tools, hopefully an open source. I would like to punt MS.
> Thanks.
>

FreeBSD, like all open source systems (that I know of), publishes a 
hardware compatibility list [1] that you can consult to see if the 
hardware you intend to purchase is supported.  In general, most major 
manufacturers' systems will work fine, although the newest systems can 
sometimes be problematic.

The reality is, hardware manufacturers develop their drivers for Windows 
first.  Linux usually has good coverage because they have a large user and 
developer base.  So, sometimes, you have to use Windows or Linux drivers 
to get some specialized piece of hardware to work.

One thing you might consider is getting a Freesbie CD [2] and using it to 
test various hardware systems at a local retail outlet.  That would at 
least give you some comfort of knowing which hardware pieces work well and 
which might be problematic.

[1] <http://www.freebsd.org/releases/7.0R/hardware.html>
[2] <http://www.freesbie.org/>

Paul Schmehl (pauls at utdallas.edu)
Senior Information Security Analyst
The University of Texas at Dallas
http://www.utdallas.edu/ir/security/



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