Well, FreeBSD definitely seems to be the most popular and there has been a sixth release recently.

There are some FreeBSD based desktop oriented systems you might want to take a look at such as PC-BSD and DragonFlyBSD.

I have actually tried PC-BSD and I can say it was really easy to install and get running. The only thing that didn't work for me and was therefore a big downside is my modem, but that's more of an isolated case. One thing I didn't like was that it installs only on primary partition for some reason though.

But it might be a good choice for you to start with.

Best of luck
Daniel

There's also DesktopBSD for "user-friendliness."

I've only used FreeBSD 5.4.

Oh yes.. I forgot that one..

Thanks

I've personally tried FreeBSD, OpenBSD, and NetBSD as well as the FreeBSD-based FreeSBIE live CD. I've chosen to use FreeBSD on my server for several reasons:

Large, helpful community
Active development
Emphasis on performance and security
Large number of software ports (over 14,000 now!)
Integrated binary and source package management
Ease of use

This is not to say that the other BSD variants lack these qualities, but this is why I've chosen FreeBSD. I also like OpenBSD for its:

Attention to detail
Strong emphasis on security
"Secure by default" approach
Portability
Performance
Integrated binary and source package management

There's only been one remotely exploitable hole in the OpenBSD operating system! It's quite an accomplishment.

I haven't really given much of a chance to NetBSD, but I think a major selling factor for it is its portability. If you're using some obscure architecture, NetBSD is the OS to use.

The best thing to do is to try them all out and decide. I would start with FreeBSD though for its ease-of-use and large amount of documentation. Once you get comfortable with it, you can move on to "less mainstream" BSDs.[/]

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