Efficacy vs. "friendliness" [Was: How to fix init -> /etc/ttys?]

[Jerold McAllister]

Alex Zbyslaw writes: 

> Pete Slagle wrote: 
> 
>> Gary Kline wrote:
>>  
>>> 	<SOAPBOX>
>>> 	Anyway, this is to the entire list:  A week or so ago
>>> 	I loaned my 5.3 set to a non-geek friend who had occasionally
>>> 	been using RH.  He brought the box of discs back and said it
>>> 	was too hard to install; that RH had a much easier installation
>>> 	process.  True.  So I gave him my old Ubuntu boot disk.  He's
>>> 	happy with it.  ---I realize how much smaller the FBSD hacker
>>> 	base is.... Still,  having a GUI-ish intro makes sense in 	gaining new 
>>> converts.  I'm still here  because this Berkeley
>>> 	distro really *is* solid.  One fatal trap in 11 years I
>>> 	can handle.
>>> 	< SOAPBOX>
>> 
>> Many FreeBSD users see it as a feature, an advantage, that no
>> "GUI-ish"-ness impedes access to the O/S. Which is not to say that the
>> GUI-ish stuff isn't available, but the beauty is that it isn't in the
>> way when you don't need or want it. 
>> 
> You are confusing two things, to my mind.  1) The GUI-ness of th OS 2) The 
> GUI-ness of the installer.  I would strongly object to a FreeBSD that 
> forced some kind of "desktop environment" on me or that mandated only 
> controlling what software runs through "smart wizards", but I think there 
> is little danger of that. 
> 
> But the FreeBSD installer is somewhat long in the tooth.  I don't think 
> anyone would object to an installer that was a bit more straightforward 
> and, say, easier to configure.  Of course, it would have to keep the 
> flexibility which sysinstall gives, but there's no reason why it couldn't 
> give a more straightforward install path for first-time users of FreeBSD 
> who have experience with other Unix-like OSes, or even moderately 
> competent windows users. 
> 
> Once you get the hang of it, sysinstall is mostly fine, but really, making 
> it better is not somehow pandering to the great unwashed.

OK.  Good perspective.   Seems like you have your work cut out for
you then.   I will be interested in seeing the result. 

////jerry 

> 
> --Alex 
> 
>  
> 
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