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FreeBSD 5.3-BETA2 available

Posted by CmdrTaco on from the stuff-to-play-with dept.

Nirbo writes "One week after FreeBSD 5.3-BETA1, FreeBSD 5.3-BETA2, is now available to those wishing to update to the most current FreeBSD on the 5.x branch. It's available from the Main FTP servers, and probably a few more places by this point. BETA-3 is due out September 3rd, but for those who don't want to go a single day without updating, you can find snapshots (and the ISO images) here."

6 of 100 comments (clear)

  1. *BSD will live forever! by Nirbo · · Score: 5, Insightful

    Just because the *BSD's explosive growth is minscule compared to Linux's explosive growth, that hardly means it's dying...

    For every 10 Linux users, every 1 has enough sense to fall through the cracks in the Linux Kernel and land in BSD-country (See, we can troll too :D)

    Rather, the boom of Linux in recent history has sparked a lot of BSD numebrs to jump too :D... now if only we could get off such dependancies as Linux Compatibility for out Flash plugins, we'd be set as both a Linux-ally, and a Linux competitor...

    With 2.5 Million active sites according to Netcraft (Who also run BSD... coincidence? Not really.), *BSD is hardly dead... just too busy disputing the death rumours to really make a show of it's vast and productive life :D

  2. Fast... by JamesTRexx · · Score: 3, Insightful

    I'm quite impressed how quickly the beta's follow eachother. Even if changes between 5.2 and 5.3 aren't major. (haven't read the changelog though)
    It makes me wonder why it takes so much longer for Microsoft with all its resources to go from one beta to the next, even with all the software that has to be tested.

    --
    home
    1. Re:Fast... by x3ro · · Score: 3, Insightful
      It makes me wonder why it takes so much longer for Microsoft with all its resources to go from one beta to the next, even with all the software that has to be tested.

      I assume you're referring to beta versions of Windows? If so, remember that Windows is a kernel, window manager, desktop environment, set of APIs, blah blah blah, all in one. Imagine trying to change versions of not just FreeBSD itself, but also X.org, KDE/Gnome, and probably quite a few apps that aren't part of the OS but come bundled with it (eg Konqueror) .. that would be a better comparison.

      Of course the other reason would be bugs being shallower with more eyes etc, closed vs. OSS. But I'm inclined to think that the more significant contrast is OS-as-monolith vs. Unix-style small, atomic utilities. Not talking monolithic vs. micro kernels here .. I mean the OS as a whole, or in MicroSoft's case, as a product.

      --
      [ UNSIGNED NOT NULL ]
  3. Re:Beta 3 Due This Week by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 4, Insightful

    I, FreeBSD, have NOT failed:

    --To support SMP
    FreeBSD has SMP support and has for a long long time. SMPnG is SMP Next Generation. It's a complete overhaul of a feature that's already supported.

    --To generate media attention
    Mac OS X is based on BSD. That's generated lots of media attention. I should also mention that slashdot is a form of media, and has gotten your attention.

    --To spawn a professionally managed distribution
    Did I mention mac OS X yet? No, oh. How about BSDi? That doesn't count? Oh. Well, I'll have to argue that FreeBSD is much more professionally managed than most Linux distro's (which are a hodgepodge shit-show of amateur code).

    --To innovate
    FreeBSD SoftUpdates. Ports (which the beloved Gentoo copied and is what most people claim is Gentoo's best feature).

    --To be relevant.
    BSD is generating news on slashdot, therfore it is relevant and very very important.

  4. Re: by DashEvil · · Score: 3, Insightful

    Have you submitted a bug report of any kind about this? That is what the BETA is for, and it is why it has the BETA tag.

    While I respect your opinion, I do wish you would hold judgement until the final release is made.

    --
    -If God wanted people to be better than me, he would have made them that way.
  5. "mergemaster considered harmful" by kace · · Score: 3, Insightful

    mergemaster is the most painful part of a FreeBSD upgrade. 20 minutes of paging through files that I've never touched and probably never will (with a couple of minor exceptions).

    I see its purpose, but it could be made much less painful by putting most of those files into /usr/defaults/ and then letting the user put his overrides into a file of the same name in /etc/. Just as we do with rc.conf. Throw in a switch to mean "update everything in /etc/defaults/ without asking me" and everyone should be happy. (That is, the curious and the masochists can still page through every changed config' file.)

    K.C.