[Ahmed]

I would be interested if readers using this unix OS (www.freebsd.org) can share their opinions as users of this OS with us. I would say that I am not fully satisfied with my current Linux OS, but cannot decide what my next step should be
Thank you and Good luck.

[praveen]

Which Linux flavour are you using at present ?

My personal choice is gentoo. I can install a bare-bones configuration without fancy window managers, etc. Installing and managing softwares is also very easy with the emerge system. This may not be so easy with freebsd.

[ottbot]

I've used FreeBSD a while back a bit for some server usage, it's quite stable bit a rough usage wise - I wouldn't want to use it the desktop.

I was a huge gentoo fan for several years, but have recently started using Arch linux instead. It has the same minimal approach as gentoo but hasn't grown quite as unwieldy, and is binary based, very fast package management system (pacman)

[gamaral]

I have used FreeBSD for a while now, but it would be good for you to state what you don't like about your Linux setup to compare.

Now if your looking for a general overview it is about the same, the kernel and most apps differ a little but since both follow the posix standard the usage is the same. As a server it's awesome and I use it as a desktop with no problems.

I must admit for desktop use it is hard to setup and maintain if your a casual user, if you are looking for a easier alternative for desktop use you should try PC-BSD; it's still FreeBSD but it's desktop ready.

[Ahmed]

I wish to thank all who read my post, especially those who shared their opinions.

I have been interested in compiling/installing OpenFOAM on my computer. The developers state on their web portal that The programme has been compiled on OpenSUSE, so I installed OpenSuSe 10.2 on a new hard disk and then the OpenFOAM programme. I struggled with installing the proper QT (as everyone else) but I got it running. Then I started to pay more attention to OpenSuSe behaviour (not the performance), several times I updated the system using their Auto update and every time I do that I started to notice The behaviour was deteriorating and every time I had to re install the system again, honestly abides, I really do not remember how many times I did that (The last update caused the mouse functions to stop responding totally and you can imagine how difficult it is to run a computer without this simple rodent). I searched the internet for a solution and ended purchasing a new hard disk and installed the Debian distro. That was a 180 degrees change compared to the previous distro. Even when I installed OpenFOAM 1.6 I had no problems at all.
My experience with these two distros can be summarized as:
1- OpenSuSe is rock solid if you do not update it (especially those called security updates) just wait for a new version of the OS.
2- Debian is both rock solid and you can trust their updates.

Looking to understand why two distros that use the same kernel are behaving so differently,I arrived at the following:
The OpenSuSe developers push every correction they deem necessary without testing the side effects on the stability of the whole system.
The developers at Debian behave in a different way, They have two versions of the soft ware, The unstable version and the stable one (You can check their web portal), and of course you can download and use any one of them.
Before any file is moved to the stable version it is tested in the unstable one.
I have to say that during that time I have downloaded and burned some other live distros such as fedora, mandriva, ...etc.
Being happy with the Debian, why I am looking to migrate from the Linux land?

To start with, I am going to ask you one question, Why be happy with the tail of a lion if you can have the whole lion and for the same price (Free for all Linux distros) and if Gentoo is a derivative or based on the BSD (check the Gentoo web site) why not go for the lion?
I am searching for a free unix system, so far, I came across the FreeBSD and the freeSolaris, I just want to consult fellow members of this forum and seek their opinions, as you can say, I do not want to go through rough times again.
FreeBSD may have a steep learning curve, but nothing is easy in our days.
My decision is to go for a Unix system and say good bye for Linux. So what do you think fellows ?
Good luck to all and once again Thank you.

NB: If you check my post about the Elmer multiphysics programme, you see, I have compiled all the modules of the programme on my Debian partition except one module (The fem module) it is giving me many error messages about function calls to the MPI and Hypre libraries, I confess, I am not so qualified in this area of science (computers) to try to solve this situation, I just use them.
On the freeBSD portal, searching their repositories, they have the programme and as they state, compiling is made easy by their port system, it just as you can say, I do not fully trust every thing that is written on these web portales, I need to get the opinions of people who used or using these free unix OS.
Thank you for reading this lengthy post.

[ottbot]

Gentoo is very much different than FreeBSD, it is not a clone or a fork of any *BSD project. I believe they mean that the gentoo "portage" package management system based from FreeBSD's ports system. They have a similar package distribution style, but it is a different implication.

But I think if you have an itch for try FreeBSD - go for it. You could also just try it on virtual machine to test out how easily OpenFOAM and Elmer build on it.

[praveen]

Originally Posted by Ahmed

NB: If you check my post about the Elmer multiphysics programme, you see, I have compiled all the modules of the programme on my Debian partition except one module (The fem module) it is giving me many error messages about function calls to the MPI and Hypre libraries, I confess, I am not so qualified in this area of science (computers) to try to solve this situation, I just use them.

If you find this difficult, you should probably stay away from freebsd. Use some flavour of linux which has a good package management system and a large collection of supported packages. Ubuntu and gentoo are good candidates. The choice between Linux kernel and unix is hardly important by itself. You have to worry about whether you can compile your softwares on the kernel of choice. Most softwares nowadays are written to work well with linux and you will have a large userbase and experience. Many softwares come in binary only, and that too for a particular flavour of linux. You must see what softwares you will be using most.

[alok019]

Can anyone suggest way(s) to install FreeFOAM/OpenFOAM in FreeBSD.
I would be sincerely grateful for the suggestions.

Thanks in advance.