FreeBSD Today

[Peter Kieser]

----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Mike Hoskins" <mike at adept.org>
To: <freebsd-advocacy at freebsd.org>
Sent: Wednesday, January 07, 2004 5:22 PM
Subject: Re: FreeBSD Today
>
> for situations where the current installer doesn't quite fit the bill...
>   "BSD from scratch" is one alternate answer.  of course that's probably
> considered "ultra geek" and not for every day newbie use.  it does give
> strict control over the install though.  working to wrap some
> "run-anywhere", "user-friendly" interface around this sort of "power
> tool" (more like a power process, since it currently involves disparate
> scripts/makefiles) would probably make some people happy.
>
> http://ezine.daemonnews.org/200302/fbsdscratch.html
>

I agree. If it doesn't fit the bill, role your own. I can install FreeBSD in
my sleep, and I'd be really ticked off if they changed the installation
much. I like it for it's simplicity, it reminds me of installing a Novell
NetWare 3.12, or a 4.11 server =)

> > Modular development tools are also a no-no, you can't compile FreeBSD
4.x
> > with 3.3 gcc.. (afaik), that would be asking for big trouble.
>
> it may be nice to allow such things to be more easily removed for
> "security" reasons, but one certainly does have to avoid shooting
> themselves in the foot.  in places where this is actually desired, it
> would probably be better to run a custom distro (which could really just
> be freebsd minus some agreed upon things to remove, backed by policy,
> enforced by script) or look at embedded/hardening projects which already
> do this or make it relatively moot.
>

That's what OVERRIDE_BASE (sp?) is for in ports.

--Peter