Learn how to – FreeBSD vs GhostBSD vs NomadBSD – Comparison Table

Learn how to – FreeBSD vs GhostBSD vs NomadBSD – Comparison Table.

In this article embellished with brevity, we will be discussing about FreeBSD and some of its derivative distributions (GhostBSD and NomadBSD). We will into each independently before later comparing them side by side in a table format. We will also aspire to keep it simple and as informative as we can afford. Let us bid you welcome, shall we.

1. FreeBSD

FreeBSD is an operating system for a variety of platforms which focuses on features, speed, and stability. It is derived from BSD, the version of UNIX® developed at the University of California, Berkeley. It is developed and maintained by a large community. It has grown and many derivative distributions have been born out of the good work manifested in FreeBSD.

Powerful Features of FreeBSD

FreeBSD is a silent giant that powers a lot of devices and appliances around the world. From phones, Firewall, Servers, Tablets and much more, FreeBSD is a beast! Let us check out its features from its Official Website

• FreeBSD offers advanced networking, performance, security and compatibility features today which are still missing in other operating systems, even some of the best commercial ones.
• Powerful Internet solutions: FreeBSD makes an ideal Internet or Intranet server. It provides robust network services under the heaviest loads and uses memory efficiently to maintain good response times for thousands of simultaneous user processes.
• Advanced Embedded Platform: FreeBSD brings advanced network operating system features to appliance and embedded platforms, from higher-end Intel-based appliances to ARM, PowerPC, and MIPS hardware platforms.
• Run a huge number of applications: With over 33,000 ported libraries and applications, FreeBSD supports applications for desktop, server, appliance, and embedded environments.
• Easy to install: FreeBSD can be installed from a variety of media including CD-ROM, DVD, or directly over the network using FTP or NFS. All you need are these directions.

2. GhostBSD

Next, we shall look at GhostBSD. Have you ever heard about it? Worry not, we shall demystify it for you in a second.

So What is GhostBSD?

GhostBSD is a simple, user-friendly operating system, based on the legendary security and stability of the FreeBSD operating system. GhostBSD provides all the benefits of the FreeBSD operating system combined with a focus on simplicity for newcomers.

It is a slow-rolling release offering a stable update and release cycle. The official desktop environment is MATE. The system comes with a graphical application to install software and update your system. Most codecs to play multimedia files are pre-installed. The installer leverages OpenZFS which makes it easy to install GhostBSD on ZFS with other OS on the same drive, and is suitable for newcomers to FreeBSD. With modest hardware requirements, GhostBSD is ideal for modern workstations and 64-bit single-board computer hardware.

GhostBSD’s Goal: To simplify FreeBSD to lower the entry-level of using FreeBSD on a desktop or laptop.

As of now, MATE is the only official DE. With the following minimum System Requirements:

• 64-bit processor
• 4 GB of RAM
• 15 GB of free hard drive space
• Network card

Other desktop flavours are developed by the community and includes XFCE Flavour.

What Makes GhostBSD One of its Kind:

The following attributes makes this Ghost of a system unique in its own way:

• Maintains the stability and security of FreeBSD
• Optimized for modern workstations, desktop setups.
• Massively simplified
• Free and Open with source code on GitHub
• Optimized codecs for multimedia files.
• Project release as well as community releases.
  A GhostBSD package repository with 30,000+ applications.
• Slow moving rolling release: Can be updated by command line.
• Switched to TrueOS in 2018: Built from 12.0-STABLE and same TrueOS depreciated in 2020

You can find out more on the GhostBSD Project Website

3. NomadBSD

Now let us discuss about NomadBSD. What a name!

What is NomadBSD and what is it all about?

NomadBSD is a persistent live system for USB flash drives, based on FreeBSD. Together with automatic hardware detection and setup, it is configured to be used as a desktop system that works out of the box, but can also be used for data recovery, for educational purposes, or to test FreeBSD’s hardware compatibility.

System Requirements

The images for 64-bit and 32-bit computers fit on a >=5GB USB flash drive. A system with a 1.2GHz CPU and 1G of RAM should be able to run NomadBSD decently. Booting is possible via BIOS and UEFI.

What Makes NomadBSD Stand Out:

If you are wondering what makes NomadBSD different from its parent and other BSD distributions, then go through the features below:

• Extremely low system requirements: Can be run by computers with a 1.2GHz CPU and 1GB of RAM.
• A fully integrated desktop environment optimized by the operating system.
• Further executable programs with some settings adjustments.
• Requires a more advanced USB, USB3 preferred.
• The desktop environment is curated specifically for the OS.
• Tons of support for using the OS as a test environment.
• Minimal size while including a curated collection of applications.
• Automatic hardware detection and setup.
• Because of the boot process, can be used for data recovery.
• Small development team, more unified vision.
• Uses a live USB, allowing changes to be saved to a portable system.

Find out more about NomadBSD on NomadBSD Project Website

FreeBSD vs GhostBSD vs NomadBSD – Comparison Table

Now that we are acquainted with each of the distributions, we shall embark wholeheartedly on comparing them in a much cleaner and easier to read fashion. We shall tabulate their attributes depending on certain features so that we can see how they differ as well as how they are similar.

Invaluable References:

Most of the work shared in this article have been directly referenced from the following resourceful web pages:

• FreeBSD Foundation Site
• FreeBSD Foundation Resources Site
• Official FreeBSD Website
• NomadBSD Project Website
• GhostBSD Project Website

Concluding Remarks

FreeBSD continues to reach heights it had never reached before and with various desktop distributions added in its eco-system, it is for sure now that more users will be assimilated into this awesome BSD world. Check out the variants presented here, get a good grasp of their feeling and there are many more out there to explore and enjoy.

Thank you for reading through and we hope the article did shine some light, shared some insights and illuminated your BSD path of discovery. Other guides you will enjoy include the following:

• How To Install FreeBSD on Hetzner Root Server
• Install and Configure iRedMail Server on FreeBSD
• Linux & FreeBSD Resource Monitoring with bpytop
• Install Bashtop – Terminal Resource Monitor for Linux | macOS | FreeBSD
• Best Books To Learn and Master FreeBSD