Comparison with Linux
| Feature | DragonFly | Linux | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Distribution formats | ISO image, pkgsrc, tarballs | ISO image, rpm, dpkg, tarballs | |
| Distribution Depots | Central repository with mirrors for base, NetBSD mirrors for source packages, several binary package repositories | Debian: many mirrors; Redhat: central; Ubuntu: central; SUSE: ? | |
| Number of Distributions | one (3 sibs: FreeBSD, NetBSD, OpenBSD; most popular: FreeBSD) | hundreds (most popular: RedHat, Debian (sub-distro: Ubuntu)) | |
| Update methods | git, cvsup, rsync, pkg_add | up2date, apt-get, pacman, emerge, etc. | |
| Xen | not yet | yes | |
| Compiler | gcc 3.4,4.1.2 | gcc 3,4, gcc 3.4, gcc 4.1, gcc 4.2 | |
| Firewall | default: pf; other: ipfw2, ipf | default: iptables; other: pf | |
| Livecd | yes (DVD) | yes, many sizes, versions | |
| Kernel SCM | git | git | |
| Default GUI | none (or bare X) | none, kde, gnome, xfce, etc. | |
| File systems | UFS1, MFS, EXT2, FAT (16/32), NTFS (write experimental), HAMMER | EXT2, EXT3, FAT (16/32), NTFS (read-write experimental?), XFS, REISERFS, REISER4, JFS, ZFS, UFS2 | |
| Kernel compilable from supplied source? | Yes | Yes (depend on distro) | |
| Predominant Licenses | 3-clause DragonFly, 3-clause BSD, 4-clause BSD, MIT, GPL | GPL, Lesser GPL, MIT, 3-clause BSD? | |
| Commercial Support | Not yet | many; leaders: RedHat, Novell? | |
| Processor Architectures | x86, AMD64 | x86, AMD64, Sparc, PowerPC, etc | |
| SMP | yes | yes | |
| NUMA | under development | yes (depending on kernel?) | |
| Boot loader | default: bsd boot block; lilo, grub work | default: lilo, grub | |
| Disk partitioning | BSD-style: slices on fdisk'ed partitions | fdisk partitions | |
| Logical volume management | vinum, LVM2 | LVM1, LVM2, | |
| Release schedule | about twice a year (developer-driven) | Redhat: 18 month; Debian: feature-driven; Ubuntu: 6 month; Fedora Core: 6 months; | |
DD:Distribution dependant
Advantages over Linux
- BSD licensed
- All you have to do is give credit.
- Except where the 4-clause BSD License is used, of course: BSD License (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/BSD_License)
- More control
- You can easily build your own base system / release / live cd.
- The rpm based distros lack that.
- Everything is developed in GIT. And the GIT repository is available, so that you can download it and commit to your own repository.
- Guaranteed to build from source
- jail(2) support
- A jail is a chroot(2) on steroids with low overhead.
- Since jails have their own IP, you can easily setup up Virtual Hosting enviroments on shared servers.
- VKERNELs
- VKERNELs can be compared with UML.
- Many packet filter packages:
- ipf - by Darren Reed
- ipfw2 - the successor to ipfw
- pf - by Daniel Hartmeier and the OpenBSD project, the most flexible, can e.g. match Operating Systems
- SIGINFO signal
- You can send a SIGINFO to a process (e.g. via CTRL-T) and it prints useful information e.g. fsck reports how many percent are done
- Kernel debugger
- CTRL-ALT-ESC in a console gives you a debugger prompt.
- There are non-standard patches for something like that for Linux.
- Debugging via a firewire console is also available, see dconschat(8)
- Linux compatibility
- Since the kernel exposes a Linux ABI, many Linux binaries run natively.
- Integration of gcc 3.x and gcc 4.x
Easily switch your default compiler by setting the environment variable CCVER to gcc34 or gcc40.
$ CCVER=gcc34 cc -v Using built-in specs. Configured with: ./configure --prefix#/usr --hosti386-just-dragonflybsd Thread model: posix gcc version 3.4.3 [DragonFly] (propolice, visibility)
Disadvantages compared to Linux
Most of these disadvantages are curable, not inherent.
- Less popular
which means fewer developers, testers - Linux ABI support not complete (actively developed)
- Not all Linux binaries run. . e.g. we can't do the new nptl threading, but maybe possible in future.
- No binary driver support from some graphics card companies
Devices
| Feature | DragonFly | Linux |
|---|---|---|
| IDE disk | ad0, ad1, ... | hda, hdb, ... |
| IDE disk partition | ad0s1a, ad0s1b, ... | hda1, hda2, ... |
| Ethernet | xl0 | eth0 |
Commands
| Feature | DragonFly | Linux |
|---|---|---|
| Manage startup scripts | rcrun | chkconfig (Red Hat)/update-rc.d (Debian) |
*Some packages put their startup scripts in /usr/pkg/share/examples/rc.d/. You can put a symlink in /etc/rc.d or copy the script there.