Subject: Great things about NetBSD
To: None <>
From: Eric <>
List: netbsd-users
Date: 04/20/2007 22:10:17
After reading some recent postings in this and other lists about NetBSD, I thought I'd start a thread about what is great about NetBSD:

1) Its simple to install and configure, after you read the materials on the website
2) The minimalist approach allows you to build your system to your likings and doesn't flood your system with programs you don't need
3) It runs on a huge variety of platforms, and on old and new equipment
4) Its secure, and unlike other secure BSD platforms, extends the security focus to packages as well as the core operating system
5) There are a huge variety of applications available including desktop programs like Acrobat Reader and OpenOffice, databases like Postgre and MySql, financial programs like GnuCash or KMyMoney, and pretty much anything else you can think of
6) Installing packages is simple using either binaries or pkgsrc
7) Its stable and reliable
8) The NetBSD community is very helpful and responsive

I used NetBSD as a desktop on a new Dell PC; in my home gym I have NetBSD running on an old desktop that I use to keep a workout journal; I've installed NetBSD to a 512 MB USB stick that I carry around with me, enabling me to run NetBSD on almost any machine with USB capabilities; and I've used NetBSD to set up a simple home electrical power monitoring system (i.e. the power's on) using a $5 garage sale computer (Packard Bell MultiMedia C115, 120 Mhz CPU, 48 MB RAM, 248 MB hard drive) that automatically notifies me via emails if I lose power or power gets restored at my house when I'm not home.  I've installed NetBSD on refurbished computers that I've redistributed to local refugees, and have installed it on computers owned by non-computer savvy friends, with nothing but positive results. 

Although I use computers at work, I'm not a computer professional.  I'm not a computer programmer or a systems administrator.  I've tried a variety of Linux distros as well as Open/Free/Dragonfly BSD and find that NetBSD is best suited for my needs.