FreeBSD and Linux are two open-source operating systems. A rendering of the BSD daemon by Poul-Henning Kamp FreeBSD is a free, open source, Unix-like operating system descended from AT&T UNIX via the Berkeley Software Distribution (BSD) branch through 386BSD and 4. ... Tux, a cartoon penguin frequently featured sitting, is the official Linux mascot. ... Open source refers to projects that are open to the public and which draw on other projects that are freely available to the general public. ... In computing, an operating system (OS) is the system software responsible for the direct control and management of hardware and basic system operations. ...

Both have dedicated communities that often leads to overzealous advocacy in either direction. There are many similarities that are often forgotten when contrasting the two, but those will be discussed after the differences. This article is an attempt to clarify the specific differences between only FreeBSD and Linux.

See operating system advocacy for a general discussion of the issue. Operating system advocacy is an attempt to increase the awareness and improve the perception of a given computer operating system. ...

Differences

Licensing

FreeBSD

Almost all code in FreeBSD is under the BSD license (one notable exception being the compiler, gcc). The BSD license puts very few restrictions on what can be done with code placed under it. Essentially, the only restrictions are that the user must attribute the previous contributors (i.e. the user can't claim it was all his work), the user cannot claim that the previous contributors endorse the user's product, and the user cannot hold the contributors liable for any mistakes in the code. After meeting those restrictions, essentially anything else can be done with the code, including distributing closed-source modified versions. The BSD license is an acronym for the Berkeley Software Distribution license agreement, and is a leading license for free software (a subset of open source software). ... GCC may stand for: Gulf Cooperation Council GNU Compiler Collection (formerly, the GNU C Compiler) Garde côtière canadienne (Canadian Coast Guard) Germanna Community College Glendale Community College global carbon cycle Global Climate Coalition Grand Council of the Crees (gcc. ...

Linux

The Linux kernel and much of the utilities commonly distributed with it are under the GNU General Public License (GPL). The GPL allows free use of the software licensed under it under essentially the same restrictions as the BSDL with the additional requirement that if modified code is distributed, then the changes must be made available in source code for all to use. The GNU logo For other uses of GPL, see GPL (disambiguation). ...

For discussion of the advocacy of one license over the other, see BSD and GPL licensing. Two of the most common free software licenses are the BSD and GPL licenses. ...

Organization

Generally, Linux is less centralized than FreeBSD.

Linux by itself is only a kernel. To function as an operating system, other utilities (file and system utilities, shells, etc. see the GNU project) are required. These other utilities are gathered from various sources and collected together with the kernel by various groups in distributions. Kernel and system utilities are developed independently and merged together to form an operating system. This means that the kernel has one version, and all the other utilities in the operating system have others. In computer engineering, the kernel is the core of an operating system. ... In computing, a file system is a method for storing and organizing computer files and the data they contain to make it easy to find and access them. ... System software is a generic term referring to any computer software whose purpose is to help run the computer system. ... The shell of an operating system is a program that presents an interface to various operating system functions and services. ... The GNU logo, drawn by Etienne Suvasa GNU is a recursive acronym for GNUs Not Unix. The GNU project was announced in 1983 by Richard Stallman with the goal of creating a complete UNIX-compatible operating system -- called the GNU system or simply GNU -- that is free software, meaning... A Linux distribution or GNU/Linux distribution (or a distro) is a Unix-like operating system comprising software components such as the Linux kernel, the GNU toolchain, and assorted free and open source software. ...

FreeBSD is more centralized. The kernel and basic system utilities are developed, versioned, and distributed together. Other programs, such as X and web browsers, can be brought in from elsewhere, but the basic system comes from one source and is designed specifically for the FreeBSD operating system. Being versioned together in the same CVS tree is an advantage. Changes must consider all affected parts, not just the particular part being changed. This leads to a more cohesive, polished system. In fact, the concept of a kernel version different from the rest of the system does not really exist in FreeBSD. In computing, the X Window System (commonly X11 or X) is a windowing system for bitmap displays. ... A web browser is a software application that enables a user to display and interact with HTML documents hosted by web servers or held in a file system. ... The Concurrent Versions System (CVS), also known as the Concurrent Versioning System, implements a version control system: it keeps track of all work and all changes in a set of files, typically the implementation of a software project, and allows several (potentially widely separated) developers to collaborate. ...

Moreover, Linux is fragmented. There are quite a number of concurrent distributions that all create their own patchwork of versions of all related components. While this to a certain extent also applies to FreeBSD (DragonFly BSD, multiple major versions in parallel use), the amount of combinations of library versions and packaging decisions that one will encounter is much lower. In computing, a patch is a software update meant to fix problems with a computer program. ... The DragonFly BSD Logo In computing, the DragonFly BSD operating system is a fork of FreeBSD. Matt Dillon, a long-time FreeBSD and Amiga developer, started work on DragonFly BSD in June 2003 and announced it on the FreeBSD mailing lists on 16 July 2003. ...

It is hard to say whether centralized or distributed is better, and both models have their advocates. One has to keep in mind, however, that the FreeBSD and Linux projects are not equal in size (as in contributors). A model that works for one doesn't necessarily work for the other. The same applies to FreeBSD vs the other BSDs, where FreeBSD is significantly larger.

Similarities

Because the FreeBSD vs Linux argument is so common, it may be easy to forget all the similarities.

The two systems share much of the same functionality. They are often able to run programs coded for the other system. When a complete desktop environment, such as GNOME or KDE is running, the two systems are often difficult to tell apart. FreeBSD can also run most Linux programs due to a compatibility subsystem, which is capable of running even proprietary Linux software. Linux, however, cannot run FreeBSD-specific software, although such software is few and far between. GNOME (for GNU Network Object Model Environment) is the name of a project to create a open source/free software computer desktop environment for Unix and Unix-like operating systems. ... KDE (Kool Desktop Environment) is a free desktop environment and development platform built with Trolltechs Qt toolkit. ...