# Multiboot Linux



## tzoi516 (Apr 8, 2014)

I used to prefer Linux Mint for the longest time until their stock image has the same privacy issues that concern me with Ubuntu, but luckily they have a Debian version that doesn't have that. That being said, I'm curious as to when FreeBSD users have to use Linux for something which distro is preferred? Here are the ones I notice mentioned a lot, from DistroWatch to forums and mailing lists:

Debian
Arch
Debian GNU/kFreeBSD
Mint Debian
Slackware

Part 2 of the question is which one provides the closest FreeBSD-like experience. Thanks.


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## ronaldlees (Apr 9, 2014)

Some people think the _Arch Linux_ distribution is more FreeBSD-like.  My all-time favorite Linux distro is Debian Etch (version 4 - from way back in 2006)  I still use it for some things, especially because I still have the numerous personal favorite binary packages that I spent days building.

I think the majority of distros that can be found on sites like _DistroWatch_ use Debian as a starting point, so Debian (and all its offspring) probably account for most of home-user Linux.  Redhat probably tops the commercial end of things.  Ubuntu is just the n+1 Debian release, with added embellishment, or at least it used to be.

I tried Oracle Linux version 1.0, and liked it.  Ironically, it was the one distro that seemed to include all the right stuff in the base distribution to run IBM DB2, which I had an interest in back then.  It was a rehashed Redhat..


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## hitest (Apr 9, 2014)

tzoi516 said:
			
		

> Part 2 of the question is which one provides the closest FreeBSD-like experience. Thanks.



I would say both Arch and Slackware provide a Unix-like experience with regard to their installation routines.


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## SirDice (Apr 9, 2014)

tzoi516 said:
			
		

> That being said, I'm curious as to when FreeBSD users have to use Linux for something which distro is preferred?


I'm currently using Scientific Linux but the only reason is because I need to get my RHCE certification.


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## Carpetsmoker (Apr 10, 2014)

I've used Ubuntu for a month, and *hated* it. I'm not going to rant about it here, it's boring and I have better stuff to do.

I installed ArchLinux last weekend, and that seems to work much better. I now have to deal with systemd, which sort of sucks, but I'll admit the boot/shutdown times are impressive (it's damn close to instantaneous, better than upstart, and much better than rc.d).
The installer (or rather, lack thereof) is also a bit of a pain; you have to manually fdisk/newfs everything. If you want "fancy" setups like lvm, encrypted filesystems, etc. you all have to do that manually 
I like that you start with a simple base system, and add stuff yourself (unlike Ubuntu, where you start with a large complex system, and have to remove stuff). pacman also works pretty good (unlike apt-get, which should be renamed to apt-fail).
The documentation (ArchLinux wiki) is also pretty good, it's like the FreeBSD handbook, but better (probably because it's so much easier to contribute, who wants to muck about with docbook?).

I also looked at SlackWare, and it looks interesting, but was put off by the lack of an USB installer (I'm sure it exists, but wasn't able to find it within 5 mins), and the lack of packages for some common software I use (like my preferred WM).

My *first* choice was Fedora by the way, the reason being that I'm somewhat familiar with Fedora & CentOS, but wasn't able to install it due to quirks in the Fedora installer & my laptop...


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## hitest (Apr 11, 2014)

Carpetsmoker said:
			
		

> I also looked at SlackWare, and it looks interesting, but was put off by the lack of an USB installer (I'm sure it exists, but wasn't able to find it within 5 mins), and the lack of packages for some common software I use (like my preferred WM).



I've also used Ubuntu and I hated it as well.  Below is a link for a USB installer for Slackware.

http://www.slackwiki.com/Install_Slackware_Using_A_USB_Flash_Drive

The good people at slackbuilds.org provide build scripts for a wide variety of third party applications.  The Slackware DVD ISO also has a tonne of applications.

http://www.slackbuilds.org/

Also check out Eric's website.  He is the lead Slackware developer.  He hosts a lot of excellent Slackware applications at his site like libreoffice, etc.

http://www.slackware.com/~alien/


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## SirDice (Apr 11, 2014)

Carpetsmoker said:
			
		

> but was put off by the lack of an USB installer (I'm sure it exists, but wasn't able to find it within 5 mins)


I've use LiLi USB on a few distributions and it seems to work most of the time.

http://www.linuxliveusb.com/


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## tzoi516 (Apr 14, 2014)

Going to go with Arch, however, trying to add LVM support to grub2 is a challenge. Slackware installs great but panics when booting from the hard drive because of the video. Haswell i7 with Optimus is definitely a challenge for a few popular open source operating systems.


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## Hewitson (Apr 17, 2014)

I used Gentoo for many years but became sick of the troublesome portage system. These days I'm running Arch and I'm very happy with it, pacman is great (although not as good as ports).


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