How good is FreeBSD as a development platform?

Question

I know that lots of web hosting providers are offering FreeBSD, but how good is FreeBSD as a development platform?

Specifically, is Java 1.6 available in it? Is there s

Answer 1

You can either run the native Java 1.6 port or the Linux JDK from Sun in Linux emulation mode, both are available in the ports tree. I used to run the Linux JDK (with Emacs JDEE) way back without any problems, your mileage may vary however.

As for IDEs, both Netbeans and Eclipse are available in the ports tree.

I recommend at least trying it out, if for no other reason than to see what the fuss is about. All it'll cost you is time.