BSD Vs Linux

A question that I receive more often than not is which is the better operating system – BSD vs Linux? It is at this point that I first have to address the non-disputable issues. Linux is a kernel, which comes in different distributions (desktop environment, etc) whereas BSD actually has forks of the same operating system.  Each BSD fork is its own OS, rather than a distribution of the same operating system.

As to which one is the best, generally speaking you will find that the common BSDs are more stable and refined while modern Linux distros will provide stronger hardware support for newer desktops. Installing software is also a bit different as most Linux distros will use DPKG, RPM or portage. The BSDs use variations of the Ports system for software management.

Is Linux easier to use than any of the BSDs? Not necessarily. A variation of FreeBSD (not a fork of the OS) called PC-BSD provides its own special package management system for software installs that feels a lot like Windows, while also providing a simple to use KDE desktop environment. Linux comes in distributions from the newbie friendly to the kind of distro you roll yourself based on your needs. Generally speaking, the biggest noticeable difference is Linux has better overall support for bleeding edge development where the BSDs are more concerned with long term stability.