Hello, Vadim. You wrote 18 августа 2011 г., 3:10:19:

Main social problem, IMHO, that there WAS NOT (I forgot Linux history and don't rememberfirst uf-distributive) and, later, Ubuntu-like versions of FeeBSD. Even if these doen;t replace Windows on many desktops (1% now?), they prepare Linux-aware users, and some of these users becomes admins or people, who decide which OS should be used in their business.

And, I think, it is too late. Why somebody should now choose FreeBSD when here is fancy Linux with bells and whistles? :( Yes, I'm pessimistic :(

I don't say, that people need all these B&W on servers, for example. No.

It works like this: user choose to try something fancy and trendy, and even if he don't start to use it now, after evaluation, he'll return to this system later, if he need to choose something for real task.

Of course, system should be suitable for this task. But almost everything is ``suitable'' for common tasks. And it is NOT ENOUGH to be technically better. System should be far more superior to be chosen, if it is not fancy/trendy. Yes, I belive, that FreeBSD is better than Linux (at least on supported hardware) in server tasks, more clear, more solid, etc. But it is ``only'' better, and is not enough.

Other factors are hardware certification and hosting providers. And, yes, commercial software. I mean Oracle and (not-so-commercial but very important) Java :)

BTW, I belive that Solaris is better than FreeBSD and much, much better that Linux for many server tasks. Now Solaris future is unclear, but before Sun/Oracle acquisition it looks TECHNICALLY very good. But it was not fancy... Ooops... And, even more, I've worked with "small" Sun's servers (like SunFire X4xxx), and with Supermicro-based servers and with Dell servers in same class. Sun's was TECHNICALLY much better, and cost was almost the same. But many of my friends buy Dell or Supermicro for their businesses. Why?! Because ``Sun makes very expensive stuff for very big companies''. And it was Sun, with all marketing money, etc!

I don't think, that last paragraph is off-topic -- it is example of system with exactly same non-techincal problems.

And even best-in-class or best-in-world package management system and streamlined base system DON'T SOLVE non-technical problems. They could help don't lose current users, but they can not help find new ones!