New Freebsd Install Guide Available

[Jerry McAllister]

> 
> As stated in the content displayed by those URL's  the Install guide
> is free to anyone to download and very plainly states the content is
> contributed to public domain.
> So  why are so many people asking the same question when the answer
> is so self evident?
> 
> And this writer takes offence to anybody calling the promoting of
> this Install guide as verbally trashing the handbook.
> I don't need to do that.  Many others have done that over the years.
> Any regular reader of the list will know that the handbook content
> has had many people voicing concern over its  less than basic
> ability to convey meaningful instructions.  No need to open that
> flame war again.

 
Well, both types of documentation are needed.   The official formal
documentation, which, of necessity , needs to be written in a rather
formal language style and other explanitory docs for newbies and
those of us who need a more conversational and step by step style
at least to get started at things.   There are several good books
out with more conversational style and some reasonable web sites
with tutorials.
 
The only problem with many of the web sites and even the books is
that they tend to take a personal preference prejucidial attitude
toward things rather than encouraging readers to try out various
things and giving them instruction toward those other choices.
Some examples are installing and using Gnome.   To read some guides,
one would think it is impossible to run FreeBSD without Gnome.
Some seem to imply it is absolutely necessary to install a third
party MBR/boot manager such as Grub to boot FreeBSD, just because
they like it.  Some tend to think the only possible shell to use
is bash or sh and anyone using something else can't possibly get their
work done.  The list could go on.
 
But, in spite of that, the "third party" guides are useful and
helpful.   Just realize that, even more than the official handbook,
they represent personally unique situations, opinions and preferences
as well as useful information.
 
> ... much excised.
>
> Another important niche this FreeBSD Install Guide covers is that it
> is downloadable direct to ms/window boxes and can be viewed using
> the ms/explorer browser.  You UNIX purists have to accept the fact
> that there are many ms/win users who want to be FreeBSD users and
> dual win/FreeBSD users out there and this Install guide opens up a
> bridge to the FreeBSD operating system to service this untapped
> potential user group.  Just watch the posts on the list for the
> magnitude of ms/office top posters to bear out that truth.   The
> official handbook in its current format does not address this. Since
> its 3/1//05 public domain release this install guide has been
> visited 1500 times and downloaded 216 times.  This was mostly from
> people who responded from the UNIX news groups  postings.

I don't understand - the handbook is available online to any
web browser, including ms exploder.

Anyway, anything that helps people use FreeBSD is good.

////jerry