by Matthew D. Fuller:
[About: Linux 
] [catsandcoffee.org ] [mail]
BSD vs Linux
What is this?
I run FreeBSD on my computers. A lot of my friends run Linux, or at least one of the distributions of it. Naturally, then, we agree that a Unix-style operating system is the right choice, but we disagree on which to use.
It's been my impression that the BSD communit{y,ies}, in general, understand Linux far better than the Linux communit{y,ies} understand BSD. I have a few theories on why that is, but that's not really relevant. I think a lot of Linux people get turned off BSD because they don't really understand how and why it's put together. Thus, this rant; as a BSD person, I want to try to explain how BSD works in a way that Linux people can absorb.
While there's overwhelming similarity between the operating systems in most cases, there are also a lot of differences. As you probe more into the differences, you find that they emerge from deep-seated disagreements. Some are disagreements over development methodology, some over deployment and usage, some about what's important, some about who's important, and some about which flavor of ice cream is superior. Just comparing the surface differences doesn't tell you anything; it's the deeper differences that both explain and justify why each group does things the way they do.
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http://www.over-yonder.net/~fullermd/rants/bsd4linux/bsd4linux1.php
Why Windows Causes Stupidity
Scourge of the Computing Industry
Microsoft. We all know them. A lot of us hate them. We can all give reasons, of course; some technical, some philosophical, some economic, some moral, some just plain emotional.
Of course, it's a difficult case. Too many people just get stuck on "Yes, but they're making money", and stop listening at that point. Other people don't even get that far, and stay with "They're popular", or even the dreaded "They made it possible for anybody to use a computer", or other catchphrases which tend to just derail real arguments. And it's not because they're valid points, it's because they're practically impossible to address; they're perfectly valid points, but in a totally different context than the one the arguments are in.
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Are you user friendly?
User friendly
It's a term that's thrown around a fair bit these days, to be sure. Everyone hails it as the ultimate goal of any sort of computer program. And they're right; they just don't know it.
The Man
After all, a user friendly tool IS a good thing. You don't want to have to fight with your tools. The whole purpose of a tool is to make things easier. Of course, most tools do that, so they all qualify. But some tools make it easier than others, and those are the tools we consider 'better'. That improvement can best be quantified as 'user friendliness'.
You can pound in a nail with a hammer head. If you add a handle onto it, it's a better tool for many reasons. It's better for you (and more 'user friendly') because it's easier to grip and keep a grip on. It's better for the job ('more efficient') because the lever action of the handle multiplies the force. Keep that distinction in mind; both increased user friendliness and increased efficiency make a tool better, but they do it in different ways.
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(Go to Matthews homepage at http://www.over-yonder.net/~fullermd/ or write him: fullermd@over-yonder.net)
