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DragonFly BSD VS NomadBSD

Compare DragonFly BSD VS NomadBSD and see what are their differences

DragonFly BSD logo DragonFly BSD

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

NomadBSD logo NomadBSD

NomadBSD is a persistent live system for USB flash drives, based on FreeBSD.
  • DragonFly BSD Landing page
    Landing page //
    2023-04-04
  • NomadBSD Landing page
    Landing page //
    2022-07-03

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.

NomadBSD features and specs

  • Portability
    NomadBSD is designed as a live system for USB flash drives, making it highly portable and easy to carry around. You can boot it on different machines without installation.
  • Ease of Use
    NomadBSD offers a user-friendly experience out of the box with pre-installed software, making it suitable even for users who are new to the BSD system.
  • Persistence
    Unlike many live systems, NomadBSD allows you to save your data and changes directly to the USB drive, providing a persistent working environment.
  • Customizability
    Being based on FreeBSD, NomadBSD inherits a highly customizable system with access to a wide range of software packages through its package manager.
  • Hardware Compatibility
    NomadBSD includes drivers and configurations that enhance its compatibility with a variety of hardware setups.

Possible disadvantages of NomadBSD

  • Performance Limitations
    Running from a USB flash drive can be slower than a standard installation, which may affect performance for resource-intensive applications.
  • Limited Storage
    The storage capacity is limited to the size of the USB drive, which may be restrictive for users needing large amounts of data or applications.
  • Hardware Support
    While it offers good compatibility, there may still be cases where specific hardware components are not supported or require manual configuration.
  • Learning Curve
    Even though it is user-friendly, users not familiar with BSD systems might face a learning curve compared to more commonly used operating systems like Windows or Linux.
  • Update Process
    Updating the system can be less straightforward compared to fixed installations, potentially requiring more steps to maintain the live USB environment.

DragonFly BSD videos

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NomadBSD videos

NomadBSD | Installation & First Impressions

More videos:

  • Review - NomadBSD: Persistent Live USB OS
  • Review - Quick Look At The NomadBSD Live System

Category Popularity

0-100% (relative to DragonFly BSD and NomadBSD)
Linux Distribution
50 50%
50% 50
Operating Systems
48 48%
52% 52
Linux
48 48%
52% 52
BSD
100 100%
0% 0

User comments

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Social recommendations and mentions

Based on our record, NomadBSD should be more popular than DragonFly BSD. It has been mentiond 15 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 SGIโ€™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 / over 2 years ago
  • Firefox on Unix is moving away from X11-based remote control (dbus)
    Maybe people donโ€™t recognize that DragonFly (https://dragonflybsd.org) is a BSD? Thatโ€™s my guess. ๐Ÿคทโ€โ™€๏ธ. Source: almost 4 years ago

NomadBSD mentions (15)

  • FreeBSD: How Can We Make It More Attractive to New Users?
    I'm not sure if NomadBSD offers a "live" desktop experience, but like GhostBSD, it is another attempt at a complete FreeBSD desktop: https://nomadbsd.org/. - Source: Hacker News / 12 months ago
  • how to read content from an old freebsd HD?
    Try with NomadBSD - it's based on Free and has automount feature. Source: over 2 years ago
  • Its possible to install FreeBSD ina External USB HDD?
    Yes. You can check https://nomadbsd.org/ It allow You to install in an external device with persistence. Best regards. Source: over 2 years ago
  • About Installing Ubunto to USB on MBR
    I know this is about unbuntu, but I use a BSD distro made to run permanently from a USB. It's called Nomad BSD https://nomadbsd.org/ it's pretty fun. It comes with the XFCE desktop and can run Linux apps. Source: over 2 years ago
  • I2p on Tails OS?
    Go to https://nomadbsd.org/ and flash it just like you would with Tails. Its not meant to be a anonymous, private or secure OS, but its very easy to use, based on FreeBSD (which is decently secure already), and should work very well out of the box. Source: almost 3 years ago
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What are some alternatives?

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

FreeBSD - FreeBSD is an advanced operating system for x86 compatible (including Pentiumยฎ and Athlonโ„ข)...

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

OpenBSD - FREE, multi-platform 4.4BSD-based UNIX-like operating system

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

Linux Mint - Linux Mint is one of the most popular desktop Linux distributions and used by millions of people.

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