Hari's Corner
Humour, comics, tech, law, software, reviews, essays, articles and HOWTOs intermingled with random philosophy now and thenLinux vs BSD - a view of their respective user communities online
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Software and Technology by
Hari
Posted on Sat, Dec 14, 2013 at 16:04 IST (last updated: Sat, Dec 14, 2013 @ 16:27 IST)
Having been online for over a decade now, I've been an active member of a number of online communities of open source users, both in the Linux and *BSD world. I've found a number of differences between these two distinct set of users and how these communities think in general. Linux has certainly put Open Source/Free Software on the map, but there are many people who, while part of the open source movement, are not exactly fans of Linux or even GNU.
In my many interactions and in observing discussions in these communities, here are my observations. Note that these observations are general in nature and the fact that a lot of Linux users also tend to be BSD users which tend to blur the distinctions somewhat. Also some of the observations are quite specific, but they reflect the general philosophical differences between these two open source communities.
Traditionally Linux users tend to be tinkerers/hobbyists while BSD users are system admins
This may surprise some newer Linux users brought up on Ubuntu and derivatives, but a lot of the Linux user community is centered around tinkerers and hobbyists who love to tweak on and play with the system, in the process developing solutions. The development of Linux software is widespread and evolutionary and this is reflected in the user community. Ignoring corporate Linux for a moment, a vast majority of Linux users also happen to be users who prefer to "get under the hood", break and fix things. This is reflected in the fact that many Linux users think that compiling a custom kernel or compiling software directly from upstream sources is a badge of geekery.
On the other hand, traditional BSD users happen to be UNIX administrators who prefer BSD as their OS of choice. They are more concerned with working within the confines of the official development team's framework and goals. Rarely are software written for any BSD that will replicate or try to improve the functionality of a core system. Conversely, this can be seen in the fact that the BSD community actively discourages custom kernel compiling or using non-standard methods of software installation on the basis that such tweaks will lead to more bugs and make it harder to find solutions to issues.
This leads to cultural clashes wherein even experienced Linux users new to BSD are surprised to get discouraging or negative responses to certain types of questions.
Linux users prefer unofficial documentation while BSD users swear by the man pages/official documentation
BSD documentation is also tightly integrated with the official development cycle of these respective Operating Systems. Because BSDs are not kernel + a separate userland, but developed as an integral whole, so also is the documentation of these OSes very specific and usually comprehensive, covering almost all the official set of software provided.
In Linux, many distribution developers have no inclination and time to provide official documentation (there are notable exceptions to this) and instead rely on their respective user communities to provide unofficial documentation in the form of Wiki pages. As a result, there are distinct variations in quality of Linux documentation spread around the internet. Of course, the GNU documentation provided is usually standard across Linux distributions, with some distribution-specific variations.
BSD users are generally much more insistent on reading official documentation before looking at outside solutions. Asking questions without reading the official docs will lead to more severe flaming by the BSD community than by a community of Linux users.
Linux users are usually revolutionary while BSD users are conservative
This may seem controversial, but I think this mindset reflects the developers' attitude as much as that of the users. BSDs want to remain, to the end, rooted in UNIX tradition and retain the same model. This means that the base Operating Systems rarely receive revolutionary changes and remain true and faithful to the philosophy of simplicity and one-tool-for-one-job. The users of BSD operating systems tend to be conservative and generally do not like change for change's sake. They even shun new features in favour of retaining the old way of doing things, if the suggested features conflict with, or break traditional UNIX compatibility or the philosophy of simplicity.
Linux users on the other hand, generally tend to be revolutionary and impatient. New features are not only expected, they are eagerly received and incorporated into the OS by distribution developers and users. Although this may seem like all Linux users love shiny new things, there are notable communities of Linux users who prefer stability to features.
However, the general mindset of Linux developers and consequently users is that they are much more receptive to new features and ideas, and are much more open to debate about whether breaking an old feature to incorporate a new one is beneficial or not.
The GNU/GPL vs the MIT/BSD licensing debate
Strictly speaking it's more about the GNU GPL license that is the poster-child of the Free Software Foundation and the GNU movement and the traditional MIT and BSD license preferred by UNIX hackers of the old school. Open Source vs Free Software is a larger philosophical discussion that I've dealt with in a separate essay.
BSD users invariably shun the political "freedom" arguments of Richard Stallman and co. BSD developers and most users hate the "viral" GPL license and in a sense, hate the success of GPL-licensed software, which they believe (rightly or wrongly) deprived the BSD developer community of a lot of useful code. This is usually where the friction between the culture of Linux/GNU and BSD worlds tend to lead to sparks flying.
Linux users tend to support the GPL license in varying degrees, whether they support GNU/FSF/Stallman or not, and usually favour a license that forces "giving back to the community" by developers who benefit from Free Software/Open Source.
This is also seen in the fact that many Linux users detest the very idea of proprietary software, while many BSD users are either apathetic to the issue or actually favour proprietary software in some circumstances. BSD developers and users are usually proud that BSD software has been used in some popular proprietary software, even if they do not get anything in return.
Linux community is more like an open cult, while BSD community is more like an exclusive club
This is another controversial idea due to the negative connotations of the word "cult", but the fact is, many Linux users love to spread the word, much like a cult does. Linux thrives on widespread adoption or usage and this can be seen in the way Ubuntu has become the most popular Linux distribution when they started off handing out free CDs and reaching out to "newbies". Linux seeks popularity and adoption and developers usually encourage users to share distribution CDs with their family and friends. Again, ignoring corporate Linux, much of Linux's success can be attributed to word-of-mouth propaganda. With widespread adoption came wider platform support and a huge collection of free and open source software that is readily installable by means of advanced package managers.
BSD users are generally much more closely knit as a community and tend to hang around in old-style internet mailing lists or newsgroups. Also BSD users rarely indulge in propaganda or marketing or target other Operating Systems, unless provoked in a discussion. BSD users usually just want an operating system that is solid, performs well in server environments and provides enough software to be useful. They rarely worry about adoption and widespread usage.
BSD users rarely wish to indulge in meaningless OS flame wars, but when they do, they are usually dismissive and disparaging about other OSes and fanboyism. This is generally perceived as elitism though.
Conclusion
I've tried to summarize some of the cultural and technological differences between the Linux and BSD open source communities online as I've observed them over the years. That is not to say that Linux users hate BSD users or vice-versa. I just think that, the above are some of the main causes for friction between these two communities of open source users.
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2 comment(s)
In linux, a casual users will search blog pages of other casual users to be introduced in linux. In BSD world, number of blog pages of casual users is very low.
All these factors can produce a bad first impression to newies: the perceive BSD systems as opaque, difficult to understand.
Comment by thisnameisfalse (visitor) on Sun, Dec 15, 2013 @ 17:12 IST #
Comment by Hari (blog owner) on Sun, Dec 15, 2013 @ 19:01 IST #