NEWBIE QUESTION

[Andrew L. Gould]

On Thursday 15 January 2004 09:47 am, Donald Turnbull wrote:
> I'm a newbie to your OS, Does Free BSD have the KDE and Gnome GUI already
> installed? Do you have plans in making the installation more user friendly
> in the future?
>
>
>
> Donald M. Turnbull  MCSE, MCDBA

KDE and Gnome are on the installation CD.  During installation, you can select 
one of these as your default desktop.  The chosen default desktop will then 
be installed.

My **opinions** regarding the installation/configuration process:

(Caveat:  I am just a user, not a developer.)

1.  I think it would be very difficult to make the installation easier without 
reducing the number of options or the amount of control the user has during 
installation.  For many FreeBSD users, control is more important than ease.  
"Easy Unix" is called "Mac OSX".  I talked my 11 year old nephew through a 
complete Mac OSX installation, including wireless access with WEP, over the 
phone.  That has to be the epitome of "easy".

2.  The installation/configuration of FreeBSD is part of a newbie's learning 
curve.  That's not to say it should be looked upon as hazing or a rite of 
passage; but it requires newbies to become familiar with their hardware and 
the operating system at a level that non-IS MS Windows users are not 
accustomed.  This new level of familiarity will benefit the newbie down the 
road, particularly during his/her first emails for help.  Embrace the 
challenge!  You will not regret it.

3.  I think the installation is difficult, but manageable, if you are familiar 
with the hardware in your computer and read the available documentation prior 
to installation.  Documentation exists online and in several books available 
at retail bookstores.  (I think it is prudent for anyone/everyone who is 
installing an operating system to be familiar with their hardware and to read 
the available documentation.)

4.  Don't get overwhelmed by the entire installation process.  Plan what you 
want to do, then focus on one step at a time.

Best of luck,

Andrew Gould