Celebrating FreeBSD Day with Tara Stella: A Journey from Linux to FreeBSD

In the spirit of FreeBSD Day 2024 , we spoke with Tara Stella, a distinguished architect with a long history in open source development. With three decades of experience, Tara’s transition from Linux to FreeBSD is inspiring and insightful.

Tara’s journey in open source began in 1995 with Linux. Her career includes roles at organizations such as Sun Microsystems and IBM, where she focused on large enterprise projects. Despite her extensive experience with Linux, she found a new passion in FreeBSD, appreciating its simplicity and stability in real-life scenarios.

During our live stream on FreeBSD Day, Tara shared her initial reluctance to switch from Linux. However, a friend’s introduction to FreeBSD opened her eyes to the system’s “neatness and stability.” She emphasized how FreeBSD adheres to the KISS (Keep It Simple, Stupid) principle, which she values greatly. According to Tara, the complexity of Linux had increased over time, making FreeBSD’s straightforward and efficient approach more appealing.

Tara is a proud member of BSD Café , a small but passionate community that started in Italy. She highlighted the importance of community in open source projects, noting that BSD Café embodies the true spirit of community-driven development. Unlike some segments of the Linux community, which she feels have lost this sense of togetherness, BSD Café fosters a welcoming environment where contributions of all kinds are encouraged.

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