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by cartep 2782 days ago
The comparison is biased in that the author overemphasizes the differences between Linux distributions and FreeBSD. For example,

> An RPM is just a binary package. If you want to auto-install dependencies, you have to have a higher-level tool like urpmi or apt-get to do it.

To auto-install dependencies to a port you also need a 'higher-level tool': make. And RPMs do have meta-information. The text is full of this kind of statements.

Linux distributions use binary packages, and they do not have the concept of a base system with additional external software (which is installed under /usr/local in FreeBSD), but instead have things like systemd which IMHO is the foundation for a more modern operating system than the venerable post-4.4BSD base system of BSDs.

FreeBSD lost the train when they became entangled with the infamous M:N threading effort, and I'm using Linux since then. Linux kernel has improved a lot, although I admit that in its distributions I miss the ports collection (and perhaps the /usr/local distinction).