User Report #freeBSD 01: I've been installing all sorts of programs using ports/pkg on my #FreeBSD setup, and guess what? Everything's been running like a charm. No busted packages or programs in sight. I did run into a few hiccups while messing around with drivers and drm-kmods, bluetooth communication, but hey, I figured my way out of those jams without too much fuss.
I haven't had to go hunting for third-party repositories to find what I need. Seriously, it's pretty darn impressive. Now, when it comes to servers, #FreeBSD seems to have a leg up, especially in the corporate world. You see, in corporate land, CentOS used to be the go-to because it was basically a clone of RedHat Enterprise #Linux minus the brand name. It had SELinux and all the bells and whistles you'd want in a mature server. But here's the kicker – business politics got in the way.
#CentOS got the boot, thanks to some shenanigans from the RedHat business folks. They came up with #RockyLinux, which was supposed to carry on the CentOS legacy with the community's help. But honestly, it hasn't been smooth sailing, and we've lost some good stuff in the process. This sort of thing isn't unique – other distros have made iffy decisions that mess with our OS choices in these settings.
But you know what's been truckin' along just fine for three whole decades? #FreeBSD, that's what. It's been dishing out stability and security just like it promised. That's simple.
@lobocode Indeed, like Debian, Slackware, and more recently Archlinux. There's no corporate brand associated with nixOS, Alpine Linux, or Guix either, and Devuan is literally developed by anarchists associated with the reflow project (that's also connected to Bonfire), through the Dyne organization.
There's no need to oppose #FreeBSD to these projects. We're in the same team, and besides the infrastructure we maintain we gather around the same gigs and organizations.
@lobocode I'll give you that BSD infrastructure maintainers seem more connected to local politics, for some part because the copyleft and copycenter licensing models imply a slightly different “free association” ethos, and also because these spaces are mostly free from the bullshit that wannabe free software activists who don't have the skills to maintain infrastructure write online, through subtle ways in which the FSF/GNU websites are rehashed through social media. But #FSF members theoretically agree on the goal of destroying power structures.
@oceane Kind of.... I'm putting it in a business perspective (medium/large). Hardly in this scenario you will see NixOs, Archalinux and even Debian. Having companies like Redhat and Suse, for example, was an important step towards the adoption of free software in medium and large corporations. For example, I work today at the largest bank in Latin America (and Linux desktop only started to be considered from 2020). In this case, Rhel. I'm focusing on this scenario
@lobocode Oh sure, then I totally agree with you. Sorry, I should follow Boudon's razor closer!
(People act for reasons they believe justified and/or legitimate, otherwise these reasons are irrational (and can of course be rationally understood).)
I had things to contribute to the conversation but it seems my input was rather irrelevant in this scope, and foolish, honestly.
Thanks for the kind answer, I understand better now… And I should be more rational on social media. I wonder why people aren't so rational on social media? 🤔 (But this is for another conversation.)
@oceane Usually, folks hold on to things like their favourite Linux distributions as passionately as they do with their country's flag or even their football teams (you know, all that love and attachment stuff). But for me, I reckon I'm past the point where I want to get too deep into this kind of stuff. 🤷♂️🤷♀️
@lobocode Sure. Hmm. This is related to social media being total institutions, in Goffman's sense (“Asylums”, 1961). How they're hurting people is spilling all over the internet, in many ways that are hidden to most people, but that are all connected through simple rules.
If you're interested about this, I can spend a few minutes telling you more about this. Maybe not tonight, but tomorrow?
@oceane I usually steer clear of getting caught up in misunderstandings (since people tend to misinterpret me). I tend to be pretty straightforward and technically most of the time (which can naturally throw folks off). Maybe it's got something to do with my autism (I'm not entirely sure). Anyway, to avoid unnecessary anxiety, I try to avoid those conversations that might lead to confusion. 😅 And there's still an aggravating factor: I don't speak English very well, I'm learning.
@oceane I meant folks in general, not you. When I stumble upon super passionate criticism that's kind of off-topic from what I'm talking about, I usually don't dive into that discussion. But hey, it's not about you, keep in mind I'm not the best at communication skills... 😅😅😅
@oceane When it comes to Goffman and his book "Asylums" from way back in '61, I'd take a different route and go even further back, like around the 18th century. Take, for instance, how Prussian education evolved into the whole German education and career scene. In a lot of ways, it's like a precursor to the stuff Goffman talks about, you know, stigma, dehumanization, total institutions, and the whole mortification of self.
