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BSD Operating Systems

FreeBSD 5.3-BETA6 Available 63

Posted by michael from the not-quite-done dept.
ulib writes "The FreeBSD 5.3 testing cycle goes on with a brand new BETA Release. Eager for the Final? Then try this Beta out (mirrors) and help them find/fix bugs! Here are the announcement (check it for fixes, enhancements & known issues), the schedule (could be updated soon), and the todo list."
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FreeBSD 5.3-BETA6 Available More

FreeBSD 5.3-BETA6 Available

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  • ULE scheduler? (Score:5, Informative)

    by nacturation ( 646836 ) <nacturation&gmail,com> on Monday September 27, 2004 @02:00PM (#10365210) Journal
    The open issues page shows the SCHED_ULE as "needs testing" for the 5.3 release -- the last release still used the old 4BSD scheduler. Have the issues with preemption been ironed out?

    • Re:ULE scheduler? (Score:5, Informative)

      by endx7 ( 706884 ) on Monday September 27, 2004 @03:11PM (#10366034) Homepage Journal

      The open issues page shows the SCHED_ULE as "needs testing" for the 5.3 release -- the last release still used the old 4BSD scheduler. Have the issues with preemption been ironed out?

      Work has been done to make it more stable, but SCHED_ULE (especially with preemption) still isn't stable enough, so SCHED_4BSD will be default in 5.3

    • Re:ULE scheduler? (Score:5, Interesting)

      by molnarcs ( 675885 ) <csabamolnarNO@SPAMgmail.com> on Monday September 27, 2004 @05:09PM (#10367178) Homepage Journal
      The funny thing is that one of the reasons for switching back to 4BSD was problems with preemption. I tried options PREEMPTION with 5.3BETA3 and BETA5 _with SCHED_4BSD, and had exactly the same problems as with ULE (and preemption).

      I've been using ULE since last year december (5.1) and I never had any problems with it. In fact, it performs much better, especially on the desktop (interactivity remains better while building in the background for instance). I will continue to use it for this reasons, despite not being the default.

  • Am I ready to take the BSD plunge? (Score:5, Interesting)

    by museumpeace ( 735109 ) on Monday September 27, 2004 @02:22PM (#10365442) Journal
    I bought a cheap [e-mahcine] 2.4gHz box with the intention of just reformating XP to oblivion and loading up a Linux...but now here is BSD. Hmmm the install instructions at the BSD site look detailed. Last time I tried this was with RH 6.something, I was using an even cheaper machine with an oddball graphics card...never did get X windows or any thing but command line mode [which would have served my purposes]. I guess what I really want before wiping windows off my box is a throrough HW compatibility list...one size DOES NOT fit all PC's.

    • Re:Am I ready to take the BSD plunge? (Score:5, Informative)

      by beholder77 ( 89716 ) <dungeons AT gmail DOT com> on Monday September 27, 2004 @02:40PM (#10365644) Homepage
      You could try to load up the first install disc, or even better the miniinst disc if you don't want to waste bandwidth, and see during the boot messages if all the hardware in your box is probed.

      Don't worry if it can't find your sound card though, install kernels don't have multimedia features.

      However, as a hard core BSD user, I would say if you're looking for a desktop replacement, you may not find the joy here. First, getting BSD up and running as a desktop requires a bit of work and a certain comfort level working with the command line.

      Being Bi-OS-ual (I swing Linux and BSD where necessary ;), I would recommend either Knoppix 2.6 or Fedora Core 2 as a better starter unix. With these, you won't be dropped to a prompt after a fairly mimimalist install to fend for yourself. You'll also get a chance to run a ton of pre-configured desktop applications, so when you finally do attempt the BSD desktop, you'll know what you want to install beforehand.

      If however you're wanting to setup your first server environment, I would recommend FreeBSD over everything else. You will learn unix the proper way, which is at the command line and manually configuring your service config files. (Yes I've used Debian and Gentoo for this in the past, and I still think FreeBSD is better suited).

    • The FreeBSD install process is easy. Check here [freebsd.org] to see if the stuff in your box is listed. I am almost positive that box will work.

    • Re:Am I ready to take the BSD plunge? (Score:5, Informative)

      by Brandybuck ( 704397 ) on Monday September 27, 2004 @03:47PM (#10366407) Homepage Journal
      what I really want before wiping windows off my box is a throrough HW compatibility list

      See the Hardware Notes [freebsd.org] page. This page is for 5.2.1 because 5.3 is still in beta, but you can get the latest page off of CVS or on the beta ISO.

      While this page isn't thorough, it should meet most people's needs. Thoroughness would require a vastly larger document. For example, not every USB flash drive is listed, but 9999 out of the 10,000 available will work with FreeBSD out of the box.

      If you have hardware that is not mentioned, then ask about it on a support forum.

    • Re:Am I ready to take the BSD plunge? (Score:5, Informative)

      by torako ( 532270 ) on Monday September 27, 2004 @03:59PM (#10366512) Homepage
      FreeBSD can make a pretty good desktop machine. It has a really lean base system and using the ports system you can get all the software you want.

      Once you get your GUI running you won't notice any difference.

      In terms of administration and setup I'd compare FreeBSD with Slackware Linux. You will need to do some config file editing to get stuff done, but FreeBSD has a very well documented and easy-to-understand configuration system (you can basically set all the important system preferences in the /etc/rc.conf file).

      Give it a shot, you just might like it.

    • Re:Am I ready to take the BSD plunge? (Score:5, Informative)

      by Anonymous Coward on Monday September 27, 2004 @04:03PM (#10366549)
      you could also try FreeSBIE http://www.freesbie.org/ [freesbie.org], a very nice freeBSD live CD. it worked fine on my DELL laptop (except for the wireless card, but that's expected) and on another old DELL PIII desktop I had lying around but of course since your machine is new YMMV.

      s.

    • Re:Am I ready to take the BSD plunge? (Score:5, Informative)

      by Bishop ( 4500 ) on Monday September 27, 2004 @04:45PM (#10366956)
      Install FreeBSD 4.10. It is the current stable version of FreeBSD. 4.10 will give you a good idea of all that FreeBSD has to offer. FreeeBSD 4.10 is not outdated. It was released in May 2004 and includes gnome 2.6 and KDE 3.2.2.

      The FreeBSD install is easy provided that you follow the documentation. If you don't have a second computer on which to view the installation guide, print it out.

    • 4.x series (Score:5, Informative)

      by nurb432 ( 527695 ) on Monday September 27, 2004 @07:34PM (#10368278) Homepage Journal
      Since you are new to FBSD, dont try the 5.x series just yet.. Its not 100% done, yet.. almost..but not quite..

      Stick with the 4.x ( stable, released ) series for the moment, if you are going to try it TODAY.. so you dont get left with a bad impression by starting out with a TESTING version.....

      • I highly disagree. There are many, many changes with the 5-series. I run both 4-stable and 5-stable as servers and have been using FreeBSD since 1993 (pre-1.0). If you are just getting into FreeBSD, there is absolutely no reason to go with 4 -- you'll just have to learn those changes when you migrate to 5, and 5 has many new and great features. Why bother learning something that is at the end of its lifecycle? Just wait for 5.3 -- it is plenty "stable" enough for new users.
    • I bought a cheap [e-mahcine] 2.4gHz box

      A couple of years ago I bought a cheap "MicroTel" machine from WalMart to use as a crash-test dummy. When I was done I gave it to my sister who is still using it with some variant of Winders. WalMart.com has a 1.6 GHz Duron machine with WinXP for $298, if you're looking for cheap. That's only about $120 more than the full-up fee for WinXP, in case you want that. *shudder*

  • This is a bit OT, but is there a trick to getting the X.org server working under vmware?

    Ive tried the last 2 betas, and if you try to do a 'detect/configure' it hoses the virtual system...

    It may work on real hardweare, but im not ready to blow away a real box, just for testing..

  • /. is great for plungers (Score:4, Interesting)

    by museumpeace ( 735109 ) on Tuesday September 28, 2004 @08:41AM (#10372894) Journal
    /. posters:
    Thanks for all the information for a newbie taking the BSD plunge. This is /. at its best: a lot of people who know what they are talking about and willing to pass on what they know.
    BTW, entirely by accident, I found an HP site where you can try out BSD [compaq.com]. They are running FreeBSD 5.2.1. You sign up for an account and get to play on their machine. HP puts up the service as a way to show off its high performance systems [alpha's, 64-bit itaniums and other cool tools headed for obsolescence:( ]. I wonder if HP's choice of BSD as one of the OS's for testdriving their hottest boxes implys that they think BSD is less likely to get in the way of demanding computations than some other OS's we shant name.

    Comment ends, sig begins :

  • One /. article for every beta? (Score:3, Insightful)

    by chrysalis ( 50680 ) on Tuesday September 28, 2004 @01:50PM (#10376183) Homepage
    Is there really a need to announce *every* beta version of the development branch of FreeBSD?

    If you need to follow what's going on in the CVS tree, there are mailing-lists for that.

    • Okay, I'll bite.

      I think it's really good that FreeBSD is getting this amount of attention - the plunge from FreeBSD 4 to 5 is *huge*, and hence needs lots of testing to ensure we don't have a repeat of the 3->4 saga (if you weren't around back then, there were numerous issues in the early FBSD4.x releases, and the jump from 3 to 4 wasn't as big as it is from 4 to 5).

      If you dislike seeing the BSD posts, don't worry, BETA6 is the last scheduled beta (though there will be RC1 shortly).

      Also somebody menti
    • FreeBSD 5.3-STABLE is an eagerly awaited release in the BSD world (and in the OS world as well, I dare say. Here's why [netcraft.com]). Posting a concise message every time a new Beta (or RC) is out is, IMHO, the proper way to let /. BSD readers know that it's out there, and you can play with it, or (better) test it, or (sooo much better) help the developers fix the bugs. I really fail to see how this can be bothersome. After all, I guess it's in the interest of every reader of /. BSD section that this important release b
    • Is there really a need to announce *every* beta version of the development branch of FreeBSD?

      Yes, and we're going to do at least 27 more just to irritate you.

  • BSD is rice!! (Score:3, Funny)

    by devphaeton ( 695736 ) on Tuesday September 28, 2004 @03:58PM (#10377610)
    So if i keep doing a make world up to each new Beta as it comes out, does that mean i'm in danger of becoming a Gentoo RiceBoi?? :-D

    (p.s.: me 3 FreeBSD and Debian)

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