Subject: Re: NetBSD Usage (Looking for large sites)
To: Michael L. VanLoon -- HeadCandy.com <michaelv@HeadCandy.com>
From: Jordan K. Hubbard <jkh@time.cdrom.com>
List: current-users
Date: 01/19/1996 15:46:37
> I'm not trying to undermine our efforts here, but you might also give
> FreeBSD a shot.  They do cater more to the beginning user, in general,
> than NetBSD does.  And, if the Usenet is any indication, they do have
> a larger installed base.

Better Michael to have said this than me! :-)

I just wanted to express my general support for this sentiment, and
it's not at all a one-way sentiment either.  What do you think we
recommend when people ask us for an OS that will run cross-platform?
We have no problem saying "go check out NetBSD" because we know that
the more people we have running *BSD, the better off we all are.

It's no secret that we've borrowed from NetBSD in areas like the SYSV
& Linux emulation, and I even hear that someone is working on porting
the FreeBSD VM system to NetBSD/sparc.  The fact that this can happen
at all is only proof that the BSD variants have a lot more in common
with one another, and can leverage from eachother's work, far more
easily than would be possible with Linux.  I think it's therefore
in *all* of our best interests to push BSD, be it whatever flavor,
in favor of Linux whenever possible.

There are a number of fairly high-profile FreeBSD machines around the
net (ftp.cdrom.com just became a P6 last night and will be allowing
500-600 users in now, BTW) and if you can cite any of them in support
of your cause, by all means go for it!

Also check the "about Yahoo" information at Yahoo - they use FreeBSD
machines there (P6s) to run their WEB servers.  That's a pretty good
public cite.

					Jordan