need more info

Jerry McAllister jerrymc at clunix.cl.msu.edu
Fri Sep 9 11:09:04 PDT 2005


> 
> What exactly is FreeBSD? Can it be used by the computer beginner or do you  
> need to be a very knowledgable computer user? Is it compatible with my 
> computer?  It is a compaq presario 5000 series with an AMD Duron 750MHz  
> processor.

FreeBSD is an operating system.
If you are familiar with something like MAC OS-X, it is somewhat
equivalent in sense to that.   It is sort of equivalent to MS Win-XP
except FreeBSD is a real operating system.

An operating system manages the resources of the computer and
provides an environment in which application programs can function.
Applications would be things like MS-Word, Powerpoint, Excel, CD
writer, etc in the MS world.

Beginners can use FreeBSD, but you need to know that it is not
set up to do all your thinking for you.   People who come from
an MS environment where decisions are made for you and you are
discouraged from having direct access to your machine or control
over resources often have early difficulty getting a handle on the 
concept of FreeBSD and other real operating systems.   For that
reason it is common to say that FreeBSD has a steep initial learning
curve.

But, it depends on what you want.   If you are happy with the limited
access and predetermined patterns of usage (and poor security) provided 
by MS systems then you might find FreeBSD difficult.  But, if you are
trying to gain closer control over your system, or create a secure
system or create your own types of uses you will begin to find that
FreeBSD is the easier one to use and that MS systems have a steep
learning curve.   

One more thing is that, if your intention is to use your machine as
a robust and reasonably secure server on the internet, FreeBSD is
a clearer path to success.

MAC OS competes well with FreeBSD in personal use, but less so as
a server.   MS stuff is a perpetual headache as a server.

Almost any "WinTel" PC-like machine will work well for FreeBSD.
Some oddball and/or weak devices that might be installed on a PC
do not have drivers in FreeBSD for them.   In most cases, that
is a good/fortunate thing, because those devices are not up to
the rigors of serious network server service.

Each Release version of the FreeBSD os has a list on the web page of 
known devices that are supported.   It is a long list.   Sometimes 
you have to extrapolate a little, in that the list names the main 
chip and not always every brand of device that uses the chip and in 
a few cases it names devices without naming the relevent chip and
you have to work it out.   But, mostly the information you need
is there.

So go to http://www.freebsd.org/

Now presuming you are thinking of installing  FreeBSD 5.4, look over on 
the right hand side of the page and you will see "Production Release 5.4"
Under that you will see a link named "Hardware Notes"  Click on it.
Then you will see a page with a list of CPU type platforms.  Chose the
right one and click on it.   Almost all, including regular AMD chips
and all the Intel ixxx series regardless of marketing name are the i386 type.   
Then you will see a page with all the hardware know to work on that
version of FreeBSD.   Generally, anything that is there and anything
that uses the same components as other things there will work.

The final thing to say is read the handbook and other documenation
and then just start trying it out.   There are several good book out
in addition to the handbook.  There area FAQs on many aspects and a
number of web sites with very good information, some conceptual 
documentation and some step by step howto-s. There are online publications
with very good articles and archives.   Most of these can be found 
easily by doing searches from the FreeBSD web site and/or from Google.  

The handbook starts at:  
   http://www.freebsd.org/doc/en_US.ISO8859-1/books/handbook/index.html

FAQs start at:  
   http://www.freebsd.org/doc/en_US.ISO8859-1/books/faq/index.html

In the beginning you will probably screw up some stuff.   Just go back 
and reinstall and try some more.  It will become more clear as you gain 
experience and by then you will know so much more about computers than 
any MS user that you will find it hard to limit yourself to the MS world.


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