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Comment by jcahill

Most computer users of the first world are barely even peripherally aware of the existence of linux. Within FOSS, BSD holds more weight as a software license than as an OS family at this point. Try searching BSD just about anywhere, including here[1]. And the most significant BSD-as-in-OS features are, invariably, whichever ones apple ends up sniping for macOS.

So: hardly anyone knows what BSD is, and nearly all of those who have used a BSD-like have done so in the form of macOS. It takes a certain kind of preening arrogance, mixed with total detachment from reality, to stamp and shout over distro confusion between linux and FreeBSD. It should go without saying that proponents of the latter have good reason to be grateful for any reason that new outsiders might even remember it exists.

I mean, the biggest in-joke the BSDs have is a ritual negging of bad news about BSD market share ("Is *BSD dying?"[2]). This is in line with a general level of sneery, navelgazing nonsense pervading much of the BSDverse that makes it altogether unpleasant to engage.

It's an OS, not Hilbert's Program. I'll use it if it fits my use case. I won't if it doesn't. I don't have the spare lifespan necessary to listen to BSD people whine about linux. Whatever gatekeeping needs to happen to make that stop, have at it.

[1]: https://hn.algolia.com/?dateRange=all&page=0&prefix=true&que...

[2]: https://www.google.com/search?q=bsd+dying

parent jcahill 6 years ago

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