FreeBSD From Scratch

geekmedia writes "Daemon News has an excellent article which describes a fully automated installation of a customized FreeBSD system compiled from source, including compilation of all your favorite ports and configured to match your idea of the perfect system. If you think make world is a wonderful concept, FreeBSD From Scratch extends it to make universe."

Comments

Re: think 64 bit

[ubiquitin]

The big emphasis on source-only distributions is likely being spurred on by 64 bit processors due out from IBM/Apple, AMD, and Intel later this year. In theory, you update your compiler to the 64-bit optimzed one, and build your system from there. My guess is that once the opterons and hammers become more common, we'll start seeing binary distros for them, but that could be a while. Having popular source-only distributions will dramatically assist adoption of 64 bit goodness.

Re:Why?

[syrinx]

besides the fact that you're trolling, why should I switch to something I don't know as well, when what I have does what I need very well?

In general, I find that FreeBSD is more logically laid out than Linux is, but honestly that could just be because that's what I learned first. I tried Linux and never really did much with it, but once I tried FreeBSD I never looked back.

"Outdated" and "stale" my ass.

Re:Why?

[Arandir]

Would you use BSD over something better like Linux?

Who says Linux is better? Well, Linus would, but he's biased.

You know, it's funny that whenever there's a BSD story, all you guys stop bashing each other for a few minutes to bash us. But we know better. Tomorrow things will go back to Slashdot normalcy and you'll see folks asking why they should use Redhat when Debian is better, or some variation of that theme.

Integrated Source Tree == Rules

[SecretAsianMan]

Of course, FreeBSD from Scratch is brought to you by the integrated source tree and build system that FreeBSD has. It really is a powerful thing. When I was working in the embedded industry a couple of years ago, I chose FreeBSD for most of my projects because it was so straightforward to build a flash disk image containing a custom "from scratch" distro. In fact, I learned how to do it in less than one day! Automating the process meant writing a couple hundred lines of sh script and a few config files. Simply beautiful.

I have since switched to Gentoo Linux for my personal workstations. IMHO, Gentoo beats FreeBSD at its own game, in three ways:

• The Gentoo base system is even more streamlined and minimal than FreeBSD's. For instance, the FreeBSD base includes sendmail, tcsh, a real sh, uucp, and inetd (among others). These are optional in Gentoo, and I prefer that, since I don't need those packages.
• The Gentoo Portage system is like FreeBSD's /usr/ports, only better. They feel very similar, but Portage is simply more featureful. I like Portage's USE flags, though I wish they weren't limited to on/off boolean values. The way Portage integrates packages with the base OS is also rather clean, though I am also a big fan of the FreeBSD "ports go in /usr/local" method as well.
• Gentoo is somewhat more cutting-edge than FreeBSD. If I want to use bash instead of sh, metalog instead of syslog, vcron instead of cron, postfix instead of sendmail, cups instead of lpd, etc., I can, and without munging up the base system. And a pet peeve: FreeBSD only recently moved from more(1) to less(1).

I have seen Linux panic thrice (way back in 1997). I've only seen FreeBSD panic once. They are both wonderful OSes. If only I had the time to run them both. Right now Gentoo gets my time.