What BSD OS is best for a desktop user reddit / BSD ---------------------------------------------------------------------- two-horned · 2022-01-16 17:08 Hello there, I have quite some experience with Linux systems but I am a pretty big noob when it comes to BSD-OSs. Since you can't expect something that works on one BSD working on another, because they're different OSs and not just another Distro, I found it difficult to decide which BSD would be the best choice if you're just an average desktop user who wants to use a variety of programs, maybe game and try to get programs running that are from other platforms. I interestingly found gaming videos from FreeBSD but since you're the experts I saw no harm asking for your opinion. When I read the FreeBSD handbook I came across the statement that most Linux Binaries work for BSD OSs. How well do they perform compared to a Linux Native system? And do emulations like Wine work as flawless as they do in Linux now? Thanks in advance. ---------------------------------------------------------------------- paprok · 2022-01-16 17:26 https://redd.it/s4qhju out of *Holy Trinity^^TM* i would recommend Free - most popular and supports most hardware configurations in x86 world. if you find piecing together a working GUI system tiresome or difficult you can try some of premade working setups: https://distrowatch.com/ghostbsd https://distrowatch.com/dragonflybsd https://distrowatch.com/midnightbsd https://distrowatch.com/nomadbsd Open and Net are more niche products that have some limitations that Free doesn't. i.e. Open does not have ZFS and Net might be lacking in newer hardware support in form of drivers. both have their uses, but are not so widespread as Free. ---------------------------------------------------------------------- k_o_e_n · 2022-01-16 17:33 I would suggest GhostBSD, just becaus they pretend (and are) to be simple and elegant ---------------------------------------------------------------------- two-horned · 2022-01-16 17:44 Thanks. Since I have some experience building Linux systems from the ground I will try my hands on the untouched FreeBSD. The handbook is great so it's pretty inviting as well. Since you recommend FreeBSD, may I ask you for what you've used it already (developing, gaming, streaming, etc.) ? For me it's just so unknown and new, so I want to discover what's possible and what's not in the BSD-world before being either disappointed or driven away too early. ---------------------------------------------------------------------- two-horned · 2022-01-16 17:46 Thanks for the advice. You're the second to recommend FreeBSD so I think I've found my answer already thanks to you guys. ---------------------------------------------------------------------- marmulak · 2022-01-16 18:07 Yep start with FreeBSD ---------------------------------------------------------------------- paprok · 2022-01-16 18:11 > for what you've used it already fileserver. twice. 9/i386 and 11.3/x64. played also with OpenBSD and CDE (it's the easiest OS to get it working in), and NetBSD on Cobalt Qube2 and x86. nothing serious or work related. > what's possible and what's not in the BSD-world i don't think there is much difference between Linux and FreeBSD in what you can and cannot do. granted, Linux is much more widespread, but FreeBSD is not far behind, if at all. ---------------------------------------------------------------------- zinsuddu · 2022-01-16 18:41 I'll add a few words since I've run FreeBSD, Gentoo, and OpenBSD desktops extensively for several years. My overall "big picture" of the situation is this: 1. If my computer exists to keep my data safe forever (about 5 terabytes of lecture videos, movies, thousands of pdf books, large collection of 24bit flac music, extensive podcast collection) and let me watch those videos, read the pdfs, take notes, browse with Firefox, play my music with lollypop, ... then FreeBSD. ZFS has kept all of my data intact for years while three hard drive died and were replaced without fanfare. 2. If my computer exists to be "like windows" with excellent gaming and universal hardware support in any modern DE then Gentoo. I still get zfs for that data (but not the boot disk), and good reliability (with OpenRC) with excellent hardware support -- e.g. my Intel AX201 wifi -- at the cost of always building everything from source. 3. If my computer exists to let me do my everyday stuff in a up-to- date Gnome desktop and get it setup and keep it maintained with least time and effort, with repeated episodes of euphoria because "this is the way computers should work" ... then OpenBSD. OpenBSD has bullet- proof Gnome Desktop, graphics support almost equivalent to current Linux, good wifi support, but ... you have to read the manual! OpenBSD is said to run best on modern laptops but I wouldn't know, I only run big workstations with many disk drives. If you want Windows games and software then run Windows, it is also excellent and has a nice gui. Yea? With each of the systems I mentioned it is possible to install software from source code or from pre-built packages (in Gentoo you need to run the Calculate Linux release to get binary support). Each one rolls on forever with never a need to re-install. I have never had one of these systems fail to run after an upgrade (i.e. *everything* continues to work). The system that seems to best fit the OP's requirements is [Calculate Linux](https://www.calculate-linux.org/). The Gnome edition is [here](http://cldga.linuxtricks.fr/) ---------------------------------------------------------------------- two-horned · 2022-01-17 09:05 Thanks for the advice. Concerning Hardware support I've heard that wifi and bluetooth are often not supported so well on BSD systems. Is that still a thing or something from the past? ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Ok_Entrance_2775 · 2022-01-17 13:36 FreeBsd ---------------------------------------------------------------------- VoidDuck · 2022-01-17 14:17 >[https://distrowatch.com/dragonflybsd](https://distrowatch.com/dragon flybsd) > >[https://distrowatch.com/midnightbsd](https://distrowatch.com/midnigh tbsd) Please don't randomly recommend things you know nothing about. DragonFly is definitely not a "premade working setup", it's an OS of its own, which was forked from FreeBSD back in 2003. It's arguably harder to use than FreeBSD and even more *niche* than NetBSD or OpenBSD. As for MinightBSD, it's also a fork, not a FreeBSD respin. It's basically a one-man hobby project. Little added value, very few and mostly outdated ports available. Don't loose your time with that. ---------------------------------------------------------------------- zinsuddu · 2022-01-17 17:37 Still a thing. OpenBSD declines to support bluetooth at all because they find it too complex and messy (e.g. buggy and insecure). OpenBSD supports my recent Intel AX20x wifi and generally have good wifi support. FreeBSD has bluetooth but it requires editing config files -- it's not like Manjaro or Calculate Linux where bluetooth is working immediately and can be used as the audio output. FreeBSD is behind on wifi support so some chipsets aren't supported, like my Intel Gen6 wifi. A few devs have been trying to complete a driver to support the new Intel wifi for a couple of years now, and still can't get it good enough to merge into the system. BSD struggles with "modern" desktops because Linux desktop software evolves very rapidly and uses Linux-only "standards" (Linux folk don't follow POSIX standards or long-established Unix ways), so e.g. OpenBSD does not have Plasma Desktop (because OpenBSD declines to follow the new Wayland path of abandoning the 100% functional xorg) and FreeBSD has just recently merged some parts of the Gnome 40 desktop. I set up Gnome 40 on Free and it works well for me; a few weeks ago I found it quite buggy. BSD excels at providing an operating system with much less complexity and greater reliability than Linux (Linux kernel is so big and complex now that Linus has said that he worries that someday it will get out of control and a bug will be impossible to figure out and fix -- of course that hasn't happened, ..., yet). The infrastructure for developing the operating system and the "ports" for Free and Open is far superior to Linux practice and the overall environment is beautiful and harmonious to the eyes of an engineer and comforting to the heart of a security administrator. Regular folk can partake of the BSD culture if these things seem beautiful to them too. [Why FreeBSD?](https://vermaden.wordpress.com/2020/09/07/quare-freebsd/) With a little extra effort [a very nice desktop environment can be configured](https://vermaden.wordpress.com/freebsd-desktop/)and almost all software a user needs can be installed. ---------------------------------------------------------------------- two-horned · 2022-01-17 20:10 Wow that's a lot of information. Now you've made me even more interested into this topic. The part about xorg and wayland is new to me. Why do BSD folks dislike the idea of replacing a bloated and very clunky program like xorg by a much more Unix philosophy following Wayland? They did the same to systemd so why not do the same here? Sounds unreasonable to me. Anyways I appreciate your fast reply. Thanks again! ---------------------------------------------------------------------- zinsuddu · 2022-01-17 21:33 [Wayland?](https://gist.github.com/probonopd/9feb7c20257af5dd915e3a9f2 d1f2277) Anyway, FreeBSD *is* working on Wayland support and making good progress. OpenBSD has instead taken xorg under the umbrella of their central repository as [Xenocara](https://www.xenocara.org/), so OpenBSD can build xenocara xorg cleanly as part of their operating system and fix problems if necessary. OpenBSD are not ignoring security holes in xorg. For some discussion of a secure graphics server see [Towards Secure System Graphics](https://arcan- fe.com/2018/04/25/towards-secure-system-graphics-arcan-and-openbsd/). ---------------------------------------------------------------------- hertzbug · 2022-01-18 18:10 Speaking of dflybsd and unlike {free,open}bsd, it doesn't seem to offer binary system upgrades. The user has no alternative but build `base` from source and install. ---------------------------------------------------------------------- VoidDuck · 2022-01-18 22:22 That's correct. Either upgrade from source or reinstall from scratch. ---------------------------------------------------------------------- edthesmokebeard · 2022-01-24 02:55 How does your choice of init systems on Linux enhance/degrade its "reliability" ? ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Current_Hearing_6138 · 2022-01-27 13:56 That depends entirely on your use case. ---------------------------------------------------------------------- grahamperrin · 2022-01-30 06:56 NB GhostBSD is based on FreeBSD. FreeBSD itself has no desktop environment. ---------------------------------------------------------------------- grahamperrin · 2022-01-30 07:02 ### FreeBSD No Widevine. Audio can be tricky. USB audio trickier. As previously mentioned, Bluetooth can be tricky. Wi-Fi support is improving. [Technology Roadmap : freebsd](https://old.reddit.com/r/freebsd/commen ts/pq3lku/technology_roadmap/) [FreeBSD Foundation-supported projects: call for ideas, 2021: summary : freebsd](https://old.reddit.com/r/freebsd/comments/rdwcmu/freebsd_fo undationsupported_projects_call_for/) > … When I read the FreeBSD handbook I came across the statement that most Linux Binaries work for BSD OSs. Do you have any particular binaries in mind? > … And do emulations like Wine work as flawless as they do in Linux now? I don't know about flawlessness, but Wine has improved significantly in recent months. ---------------------------------------------------------------------- [deleted] · 2022-02-04 03:32 helloSystem looks interesting ---------------------------------------------------------------------- two-horned · 2022-02-08 13:06 It's a FreeBSD distro, so I count it as FreeBSD as well. ---------------------------------------------------------------------- grahamperrin · 2022-02-08 16:36 > It's a FreeBSD distro, True; [Guide to FreeBSD Desktop Distributions | FreeBSD Foundation](https://freebsdfoundation.org/freebsd- project/resources/guide-to-freebsd-desktop-distributions/) ---------------------------------------------------------------------- two-horned · 2022-02-09 11:33 No need to correct me then? Lol what's your point. You're basically telling me stuff I already know and noone asked for it. ---------------------------------------------------------------------- grahamperrin · 2022-02-10 02:26 > correct me I'm confused. I wrote "NB" (b, bravo). Did you misread it as "NO" (o, Oscar)?