h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

BSD

new PC XP preinstalled, I can't decide whether to play it safe and go for FreeBSD or live dangerously and go for NetBSD

wot do ya all think

OpenBSD, get yourself the OS designed to be the most secure you can have

FreeBSD is a good alternative to Linux in general, it has some good and some bad points but then so does everything.
NetBSD is good if you're wanting to run on some bit of more exotic hardware as it is ported to a huge range of stuff.

All in all though you probably can't go too far wrong with any of them.

ok, the thinking process, I've used FreeBSD before but it does seem like every Tom, Dick & Harriot is getting it now so maybe I should try something a little more exotic so NetBSD (I'm also thinking about installing it on the coffee machine once they get the port running stable ), I also have a few on-line friends that run it. I'm afraid OpenBSD didn't come into the equation as I know no blighter that uses it.

Just because no one you know is running it doesn't mean that you shouldn't. I've not run it myself but a friend has and says it's like any of the othe BSDs. Once you know your general way round one, you can find your way round them all.
Any of them should do for what you want (whatever that may be). I've run freeBSD as a desktop at one place I worked (and ISP that used it for their servers) and it was fine and dandy (appart from the slightly flaky hardware it was running on ).

just tried an install of FreeBSD my machine kept locking up during the Device Probe

That's not good Can you skip the device probe and manually tell it what devices you've got installed? (Been a couple of years since I last installed FreeBSD so things no doubt have changed).

probally, i'm going to have to wade through the documentation - might download the NetBSD iso's while i'm doing that ...

A friend of mine has used FreeBSD on his primary desktop PC for years, he gets on really well with it, and he's got it on his laptop too. It seems very good in places, although I personally prefer to use Linux.

Have you managed to get anywhere with the *BSD install HappyDude?

lack of time so err... no

I'm hoping for next Sunday

Let us know how you manage to get on

will do

ok, FreeBSD still no go on the time front

BUT

I am posting using Konqueror/KDE 3.1.1 runing on XP (just call me sad OK)