# Solaris vs FreeBSD



## ramakrishna (Dec 8, 2012)

I am using Ubuntu 12.04 at present. I am a big fan of Ubuntu. I need Ubuntu like Unix based OS which one should I prefer either Solaris or FreeBSD?


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## UNIXgod (Dec 8, 2012)

FreeBSD.


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## Majorix (Dec 8, 2012)

FreeBSD is getting closer to the idea of Ubuntu with the new pkg. Kinda like apt-get for Debian-based distros (which includes Ubuntu). Other than that, I really can't think of any similarities.


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## wblock@ (Dec 8, 2012)

Why can't you just use Ubuntu?


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## Remington (Dec 8, 2012)

I like Solaris and OpenIndiana, however, one major problem is their package repository is woefully outdated.  Solaris future is much more bleaker since Oracle ended OpenSolaris project. I'm planning to change my servers from Solaris to FreeBSD in the near future.

Solaris ZFS and Zones are very powerful tools but since they ended the OpenSolaris project and I do not see them moving forward any further.  FreeBSD will eventually catch up and finish off Solaris for good. IMHO.

Funny enough that Solaris borrowed the idea or more accurately stole FreeBSD's jail codes to create Solaris' zone.  Oracle said they'll release the Solaris code but they haven't for 2 years and I seriously doubt they will in the near future.  FreeBSD or Illumos' ZFS is beginning to split off from Solaris base code so we probably will end up with two different versions of ZFS.


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## ramakrishna (Dec 9, 2012)

wblock@ said:
			
		

> Why can't you just use Ubuntu?



I need Unix like OS because it is a complete OS but Ubuntu is just Kernel.


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## neowolf (Dec 9, 2012)

Linux is the kernel. Ubuntu is the distribution/OS.


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## UNIXgod (Dec 9, 2012)

ramakrishna said:
			
		

> I need Unix like OS because it is a complete OS but Ubuntu is just Kernel.



Give it a go. FreeBSD is a complete OS. I'll betcha that you enjoy working with it after you get your bearings. 

This may help you:

http://www5.us.freebsd.org/projects/newbies.html

This also:

http://www5.us.freebsd.org/features.html


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## throAU (Dec 9, 2012)

If you're after something similar to Ubuntu, you might be better served with PC-BSD.  It's basically FreeBSD with a friendlier installer, default package collection aimed at X11 desktop use, etc.


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## gkontos (Dec 9, 2012)

Last time I checked Solaris was not free. If you can afford $2K annually I would recommend you to try Solaris.


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## throAU (Dec 9, 2012)

Given that much of the programming talent fled Sun when Oracle bought them out, I'd suggest you don't


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## Webhostbudd (Dec 10, 2012)

Keep in mind that Illumos has become the new open source Solaris fork and derivative systems have been running pretty strong. If you really like Solaris for some reason, consider trying something like Omnios or Smartos.


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## _martin (Dec 10, 2012)

I'd say this is off-topic even for off-topic thread.  Putting smiley face just to stress it's meant in friendly way.

If in doubt try both of them (e.g. as VM in Ubuntu) and get familiar with them. Both OSes have strong documentation, community and developers. 

But answer to your question is actually simple: use whatever you're feeling comfortable with, meets your expectations and makes your life easier.


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## ChalkBored (Dec 11, 2012)

Is Nexenta still around? It used to be OpenSolaris with a mostly Ubuntu userland.
I hated it, but if you're looking for something like Ubuntu, there you go.


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## gkontos (Dec 11, 2012)

ChalkBored said:
			
		

> Is Nexenta still around?



Nexenta is following an aggressive sales & marketing strategy. Just call up SupeMicro and tell them that you are planning to build huge storage solutions. They will try to sell you Nexenda.


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## Remington (Dec 11, 2012)

I have Solaris on my home server, used OpenSolaris and OpenIndiana for 3 years.  They're nice OS until Oracle killed the OpenSolaris project and left them orphaned.  Currently, they're nice OS for now but what about 5 years in the future when Oracle's Solaris is further ahead of OI, OmniOS and all others.  They're fine for hobbyists but not for production server where support is essential.

By that time FreeBSD and Linux will be further ahead of OI and OmniOS since they are relatively new to the OS arena.  It's a wait-and-see approach whether they'll survive and whether they can recruit more developers to keep the project alive.  I've seen too many OS come and go.

Oracle said they'll release the code after Solaris 11 release but they haven't in the last 2 years and it clearly showed that they have no intentions of doing so.  Oracle made a big mistake to kill the project and they could continue to actively support it while charging customers for support just like Red Hat.  So, I'm not going to use OS on a production server without any serious backing by a company, developers or community support.


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## gkontos (Dec 11, 2012)

Either buy a license from Oracle or use FreeBSD. (ZFS usage)

There are no intermediates here.


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