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DragonFly BSD VS NetBSD

Compare DragonFly BSD VS NetBSD and see what are their differences

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DragonFly BSD logo DragonFly BSD

DragonFly belongs to the same class of operating systems as other BSD-derived systems and Linux.

NetBSD logo NetBSD

PowerPC, Alpha, SPARC, MIPS, SH3, ARM, amd64, i386, m68k, VAX: Of course it runs NetBSD.
  • DragonFly BSD Landing page
    Landing page //
    2023-04-04
  • NetBSD Landing page
    Landing page //
    2023-08-03

DragonFly BSD features and specs

  • Performance
    DragonFly BSD is designed to provide excellent performance, especially for multi-core systems. Its focus on scalability and parallelism can lead to improved performance in certain workloads.
  • HAMMER File System
    The HAMMER file system offers advanced features like built-in snapshots, fine-grained history retention, and file system mirroring, which can enhance data reliability and recovery.
  • Lightweight
    The operating system is relatively lightweight and can run efficiently on older hardware, making it a suitable option for users with resource-constrained systems.
  • Focus on Simplicity
    DragonFly BSD emphasizes a simpler system structure and maintenance, which can be beneficial for system administrators seeking ease of management.
  • Open Source
    Being open-source, DragonFly BSD encourages community involvement and transparency in development, allowing users to view and modify the source code.

Possible disadvantages of DragonFly BSD

  • Limited Hardware Support
    Compared to other operating systems, DragonFly BSD may have less hardware support, potentially causing issues with newer or less common components.
  • Smaller User Community
    The community around DragonFly BSD is smaller, which may result in fewer resources, forums, and third-party support options for troubleshooting or learning.
  • Software Compatibility
    There may be limited software compatibility and availability compared to more mainstream operating systems, requiring users to rely more on manual ports or alternatives.
  • Niche Focus
    The niche focus on certain performance aspects may not appeal to all users, particularly those looking for a more generalized operating system experience.
  • Learning Curve
    Users who are new to BSD systems might encounter a steeper learning curve, especially if they are more familiar with Linux or Windows environments.

NetBSD features and specs

  • Portability
    NetBSD is known for its high portability across different hardware platforms. It supports a wide range of architectures, making it a versatile choice for various types of systems.
  • Clean Design
    The operating system is praised for its clean and well-documented codebase, which makes it easier to understand, maintain, and contribute to the development.
  • Security
    NetBSD places a strong emphasis on security, implementing robust security features and frequent updates to maintain a secure environment.
  • Lightweight
    It is designed to be lightweight and efficient, which is beneficial for systems with limited resources, such as embedded devices.
  • Advanced Networking
    NetBSD provides advanced networking capabilities, making it suitable for use in network appliances and services.

Possible disadvantages of NetBSD

  • Smaller Community
    Compared to other open-source operating systems like Linux, NetBSD has a smaller community, which can result in less frequent updates and fewer available resources or support.
  • Less Software
    NetBSD may have fewer pre-compiled packages and software options available in its repositories compared to more popular operating systems.
  • Learning Curve
    For users not familiar with BSD systems, there might be a steeper learning curve due to differences in system management and command-line interfaces.
  • Limited Commercial Support
    There are fewer commercial support options available for NetBSD, which may be a limitation for businesses requiring extensive professional support.
  • Desktop Environment
    NetBSD is not traditionally focused on providing a user-friendly desktop environment, which might limit its appeal to casual desktop users.

DragonFly BSD videos

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NetBSD videos

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A FreeBSD User Tries Out....NetBSD 8.0

More videos:

  • Review - Comparision Video - NetBSD & OpenBSD
  • Tutorial - How to install NetBSD 9.0 plus the Xfce desktop

Category Popularity

0-100% (relative to DragonFly BSD and NetBSD)

DragonFly BSD

NetBSD

Operating Systems
53 53%
Operating Systems
47% 47
Linux
49 49%
Linux
51% 51
Linux Distribution
56 56%
Linux Distribution
44% 44
BSD
42 42%
BSD
58% 58

User comments

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Social recommendations and mentions

Based on our record, NetBSD should be more popular than DragonFly BSD. It has been mentiond 3 times since March 2021. We are tracking product recommendations and mentions on various public social media platforms and blogs. They can help you identify which product is more popular and what people think of it.

DragonFly BSD mentions (2)

  • Can SGI’s Enthusiast Community Bring IRIX Back to Life?
    People are still actively working on Illumos. The last change was yesterday morning. * https://illumos.org People are still actively working on MirBSD. There's a CVS commit account that can be followed on the FediVerse. * http://www.mirbsd.org It's DragonFly BSD, not Dragon BSD, and the irony of that is that you missed FreeBSD, which is of course still going. * https://dragonflybsd.org * https://freebsd.org As... - Source: Hacker News / almost 2 years ago
  • Firefox on Unix is moving away from X11-based remote control (dbus)
    Maybe people don’t recognize that DragonFly (https://dragonflybsd.org) is a BSD? That’s my guess. 🤷‍♀️. Source: over 3 years ago

NetBSD mentions (3)

  • Shit they exist
    The idea of config files is fine, it's the implementation I don't like. I was using NetBSD recently for my senior project and found it fine to use - all the documentation is in one place (well, two - the manpages and netbsd.org). It's when the documentation is nonexistent and you have to search through a million different websites and forum posts to find the one line you have to change - that's what gets me. Linus... Source: over 2 years ago
  • Redox OS 0.7.0
    This is what most of the existing open source operating systems are and it is much easier to contribute to those or fork one that does most of what you want. If you are aiming at a POSIX system then there is a fair amount of work but you at least then get a huge amount of already written software that you can run (IIUC Redox is aiming for this but written in Rust). A structure like Qubes OS would make it easier... - Source: Hacker News / about 3 years ago
  • Vulnerabilities in billions of Wi-Fi devices let hackers bypass firewalls
    It looks like one of the vulnerabilities involves being able to sneak in a rogue ICMPv6 route advertisement, with rogue DNS entries. It also mentions doing this kind of stuff against NetBSD 7.1, but that's a couple of versions old, so I guess they were concerned about all the random managed access points floating around? Source: almost 4 years ago

What are some alternatives?

When comparing DragonFly BSD and NetBSD, you can also consider the following products

FreeBSD - FreeBSD is an advanced operating system for x86 compatible (including Pentium® and Athlon™)...

GhostBSD - GhostBSD is a user friendly desktop operating system based on ...

Haiku - Haiku is an open source OS catered specifically to the needs of personal computing.

MidnightBSD - MidnightBSD is a new BSD-derived operating system developed with desktop users in mind.

Ubuntu - Ubuntu is a Debian Linux-based open source operating system for desktop computers.

NomadBSD - NomadBSD is a persistent live system for USB flash drives, based on FreeBSD.

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