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<!-- $Id: nutshell.sgml,v 1.9 1996/05/16 23:18:07 mpp Exp $ -->
<!-- The FreeBSD Documentation Project -->
<sect><heading>FreeBSD in a nutshell<label id="nutshell"></heading>
<p>FreeBSD is a state of the art operating system for
personal computers based on the Intel CPU architecture, which
includes the 386, 486 and Pentium processors (both SX and DX versions).
Intel compatible CPUs from AMD and Cyrix are supported as well.
FreeBSD provides you with many advanced features previously available
only on much more expensive computers. These features include:
<itemize>
<item><bf>Preemptive multitasking</bf> with dynamic priority
adjustment to ensure smooth and fair sharing of the
computer between applications and users.</item>
<item><bf>Multiuser</bf> access means that many people can use a
FreeBSD system simultaneously for a variety of things. System
peripherals such as printers and tape drives are also properly
SHARED BETWEEN ALL users on the system.</item>
<item>Complete <bf>TCP/IP networking</bf> including SLIP, PPP, NFS
and NIS support. This means that your FreeBSD machine can
inter-operate easily with other systems as well act as an enterprise
server, providing vital functions such as NFS (remote file access) and
e-mail services or putting your organization on the Internet
with WWW, ftp, routing and firewall (security) services.</item>
<item><bf>Memory protection</bf> ensures that applications (or
users) cannot interfere with each other. One application
crashing will not affect others in any way.</item>
<item>FreeBSD is a <bf>32-bit</bf> operating system and was designed
as such from the ground up.</item>
<item>The industry standard <bf>X Window System</bf> (X11R6)
provides a graphical user interface (GUI) for the cost of a
common VGA card and monitor and comes with full sources.</item>
<item><bf>Binary compatibility</bf> with many programs built for SCO,
BSDI, NetBSD, Linux and 386BSD.</item>
<item>Hundreds of <bf>ready-to-run</bf> applications are
available from the
FreeBSD <bf>ports</bf> and <bf>packages</bf>
collection. Why search the net when you can find it all
right here?</item>
<item>Thousands of additional and <bf>easy-to-port</bf> applications
available on the Internet. FreeBSD is source code compatible
with most popular commercial Unix systems and thus most
applications require few, if any, changes to compile.</item>
<item>Demand paged <bf>virtual memory</bf> and `merged VM/buffer cache'
design efficiently satisfies applications with large appetites
for memory while still maintaining interactive response to other
users.</item>
<item><bf>Shared libraries</bf> (the Unix equivalent of
MS-Windows DLLs) provide for efficient use of disk space
and memory.</item>
<item>A full compliment of <bf>C</bf>, <bf>C++</bf> and
<bf>Fortran</bf> development tools. Many additional
languages for advanced research and development are
also available in the ports and packages collection.</item>
<item><bf>Source code</bf> for the entire system means you have
the greatest degree of control over your environment. Why be
locked into a proprietary solution and at the mercy of your vendor
when you can have a truly Open System?</item>
<item>Extensive <bf>on-line documentation</bf>.</item>
<item><bf>And many more!</bf></item>
</itemize>
FreeBSD is based on the 4.4BSD-Lite release from Computer
Systems Research Group (CSRG) at the University of
California at Berkeley, and carries on the distinguished
tradition of BSD systems development. In addition to the
fine work provided by CSRG, the FreeBSD Project has put in
many thousands of hours in fine tuning the system for
maximum performance and reliability in real-life load
situations. As many of the commercial giants struggle to
field PC operating systems with such features, performance
and reliability, FreeBSD can offer them <bf>now</bf>!
The applications to which FreeBSD can be put are truly
limited only by your own imagination. From software
development to factory automation, inventory control to
azimuth correction of remote satellite antennae; if it can
be done with a commercial UNIX product then it is more than
likely that you can do it with FreeBSD, too! FreeBSD also
benefits significantly from the literally thousands of high
quality applications developed by research centers and
universities around the world, often available at little
to no cost. Commercial applications are also available
and appearing in greater numbers every day.
Because the source code for FreeBSD itself is generally
available, the system can also be customized to an almost
unheard of degree for special applications or projects, and
in ways not generally possible with operating systems from
most major commercial vendors. Here is just a sampling of
some of the applications in which people are currently
using FreeBSD:
<itemize>
<item><bf>Internet Services:</bf> The robust TCP/IP networking
built into FreeBSD makes it an ideal platform for a
variety of Internet services such as:
<itemize>
<item>FTP servers</item>
<item>World Wide Web servers</item>
<item>Gopher servers</item>
<item>Electronic Mail servers</item>
<item>USENET News</item>
<item>Bulletin Board Systems</item>
<item>And more...</item>
</itemize>
You can easily start out small with an inexpensive 386
class PC and upgrade as your enterprise grows.</item>
<item><bf>Education:</bf> Are you a student of computer science
or a related engineering field? There is no better way
of learning about operating systems, computer
architecture and networking than the hands on, under the
hood experience that FreeBSD can provide. A number of
freely available CAD, mathematical and graphic design
packages also make it highly useful to those who's
primary interest in a computer is to get <em>other</em>
work done!</item>
<item><bf>Research:</bf> With source code for the entire system
available, FreeBSD is an excellent platform for research
in operating systems as well as other branches of
computer science. FreeBSD's freely available nature also
makes it possible for remote groups to collaborate on
ideas or shared development without having to worry about
special licensing agreements or limitations on what
may be discussed in open forums.</item>
<item><bf>Networking:</bf> Need a new router? A name server
(DNS)? A firewall to keep people out of your internal
network? FreeBSD can easily turn that unused 386 or 486 PC
sitting in the corner into an advanced router with
sophisticated packet filtering capabilities. </item>
<item><bf>X Window workstation:</bf> FreeBSD is a fine
choice for an inexpensive X terminal solution, either
using the freely available XFree86 server or one
of the excellent commercial servers provided by X Inside.
Unlike an X
terminal, FreeBSD allows many applications to be run
locally, if desired, thus relieving the burden on a
central server. FreeBSD can even boot
"diskless", making individual workstations even cheaper
and easier to administer.</item>
<item><bf>Software Development:</bf> The basic FreeBSD system
comes with a full compliment of development tools
including the renowned GNU C/C++ compiler and
debugger. </item>
</itemize>
FreeBSD is available in both source and binary form on CDROM and
via anonymous ftp. See <ref id="mirrors" name="Obtaining FreeBSD">
for more details.
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