I've used both FreeBSD and OpenBSD for the best part of two decades. I'd say that OpenBSD is definitely the simpler of the two in terms of configuration. Much simpler and purer I'd say.
Both will be capable for what you are looking for. Although I'd say OpenBSD is slightly lighter on resources and smaller footprint so better for embedded devices and the likes. The one thing OpenBSD misses in the file server role is a modern file system. That said for FreeBSD and ZFS you want at least 4GB of ram anyways. I actually run OpenBSD in a VM on FreeBSD using bhyve which gives me the best of both worlds. -Matt â Matt Hamilton Quernus m...@quernus.co.uk +44 117 325 3025 64 Easton Business Centre Felix Road, Easton Bristol, BS5 0HE Quernus Ltd is a company registered in England and Wales. Registered number: 09076246 > On 27 Sep 2015, at 11:27, Adam <m8r-hqr...@mailinator.com> wrote: > > Asking this on the OpenBSD list gives it a tone: > > I have no background in IT security and operating systems other than Windows (I hated it less than Ubuntu, actually). I have found in the archives that in general you can recommend OpenBSD to anyone without any background to start tinkering with. So, there might be no benefit of a learning curve of FreeBSD --> OpenBSD, as I, may have wrongly guessed? > > What I'd like is a secure wireless router and a file server (for my mobile devices in the first place, really). Many suggested the PC Engines APU board here. Check. Can it handle both roles, router and file server, or, is it a good idea to have one device for these 2 roles in the first place? It would encounter very modest load on both of its roles. > > I have no intention whatsoever to run any x86/amd64 desktop software on NIX in the post-PC world (in the desktop space, really). > > It would also be an interesting side-note on how do you see the future of (NIX on) desktop PCs (already a dead market as and old post here suggested), or embedded/ARM mobile devices and NIX, perhaps other than iOS/Android derivatives of the latter. > > But the main point of my question is, the server. Thank you.
