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FreeBSD = includes kitchen sink

NetBSD = run on a toaster

OpenBSD = "Only two remote holes in the default install, in a heck of a long time!"

This HN link( http://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=4798791 ) introduced me to the knowledge that OpenBSD is commonly installed on networking gear, instead of (for example) Cisco IOS. So you could say "freebsd on your desktop and/or server, and openbsd on your router." I confess that I don't know enough about NetBSD to offer an optimal use case.

NetBSD on your toaster is the canonical example.

oh yeah, openbsd has tons of great networking stuff. pf, carp, openssh all have originated from openbsd.

I use openbsd on the desktop. It's great. Just works, and stays out of the way.

I run NetBSD as a web server, but not for any good reason -- it's just personal preference. I ended up with NetBSD rather than one of the other variants because it's easy to set up as a Xen domU (instructions at http://wiki.prgmr.com/mediawiki/index.php/NetBSD_as_a_DomU if anyone's interested).

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