xdm-options - non-bsd user needs bsd rc.d advice

[Chad Perrin]

On Fri, Mar 04, 2011 at 03:28:10PM +0100, Christopher J. Ruwe wrote:
> 
> Later, I tried OpenSolaris and FreeBSD and am now using FreeBSD due to
> the same reasons as Chad Perrin stated: Being a power-user, wanting to
> control things and (now diverting from Chad's reasons) wanting to use
> technology (most importantly ZFS) without being impeded for ideological
> reasons of viral GPLishness.

I'd say you diverted from what I satated -- though not from my reasons
overall.  That is actually among the reasons I prefer FreeBSD, even if I
didn't mention it.


> 
> So, same reasons here as with Chad Perrin, safe for an additionally and
> lately aquired GPL-allergy.

My GPL-allergy has been around since late 2003, but has been growing in
strength.  2006 was when it finally got to the point where I stopped
using Linux-based systems for my own purposes until some video issues
"forced" me back to it last month.


> 
> @ Chad: Perhaps you might be happier being coerced to use a
> Linux with a GNU/Linux flavour like Gentoo or ArchLinux. I have never
> tried the latter, however, with Gentoo you are very much in control.
> Gentoo effectively forces you to do your own compiling via portage, so
> be prepared for a very long install. ArchLinux is to my knowledge binary
> based and might be quicker to install. Both Gentoo and ArchLinux have a
> reputation to put the user in charge.

I'm considering ArchLinux.  I've played with Gentoo in the past
(2004ish), and did not much find it to my liking -- mostly because of
software stability issues and a community overrun with ricers.


> 
> What drove me away from Gentoo apart from that GPL-flu was deteriorating
> quality of system tools. You install what is world in FreeBSD from
> portage in Gentoo, so when updating your portage, necessary system
> tools sometimes break. I was driven over the edge when some network-etc
> syntax changed without telling me and I lost my network connection as a
> result. I had something different in mind for the weekend and was just
> furious - so treat Gentoo with care.

That kind of breakage is among the reasons I didn't like Gentoo.  Around
that time, Debian was much more stable in practice (even Debian Testing),
but things have changed in the Debian world since I last used it for my
own purposes five years ago; now, it's prone to breakage as well,
evidently.  From your description, it sounds like Gentoo wouldn't solve
the kinds of problems I'm having with Debian; it would just rearrange the
deck chairs on the Titanic.

I've heard Arch is a tolerable substitute for FreeBSD when you "must" use
Linux-based systems for some reason.  I'm probably going to wipe the
system and reinstall this weekend to try to solve my networking issue,
and Arch looks like the option I'll try -- though I'll probably check
into whether OpenBSD has support for the graphics chipset in this laptop,
too (I really doubt it).

. . . and then, as soon as the graphics support gets sorted out in
FreeBSD, I'll probably wipe again and install FreeBSD.  I had FreeBSD
installed on it briefly already, and everything about it worked exactly
as expected except the graphics, after all.

-- 
Chad Perrin [ original content licensed OWL: http://owl.apotheon.org ]
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