8.0 installation doesn't contain X distributions

[Sean Cavanaugh]

> Date: Thu, 10 Dec 2009 19:47:08 +1100
> From: smithi at nimnet.asn.au
> To: sonicy at otenet.gr
> CC: nick.chorley at gmail.com; freebsd-questions at freebsd.org
> Subject: Re: 8.0 installation doesn't contain X distributions
> 
> In freebsd-questions Digest, Vol 287, Issue 16, Message: 8
> On Sat, 05 Dec 2009 19:39:08 +0200 Manolis Kiagias <sonicy at otenet.gr> wrote:

> 
> Look, I'm sorry, but I think this is a huge regression, especially if 
> we're still hoping that people with no prior experience of installing 
> freeBSD, people coming from Linux and such, for essentially or including 
> desktop use, are going to have a rewarding installation experience.
> 
> I think this is taking base-system-only installation purity to excess.
> 
> Fine for people installing servers of course, and maybe it will shift 
> more people wanting a GUI environment towards PC-BSD and such if we want 
> to discourage these from using FreeBSD as it is (or maybe, was) but even 
> with my 11 years experience of installing FrreeBSD versions from 2.2 
> till now, I kept on wondering, how would a newbie fare at this point?
> 
> The main disadvantage is - access to all packages :) In the case of X, 
> you and I, developers and most people here know to hunt for the Xorg 
> meta-port. But the naive or new installer knows of no such thing, and 
> could beat around in the huge lists of X software for ages, wondering 
> what's required and what's not to get a desktop going.
> 
> The previous basic setup menus in sysinstall for X were not only useful; 
> I suspect that they are virtually essential for someone, say, coming 
> from Debian or Ubuntu or such, wanting to try FreeBSD on their system, 
> or the genuine first-time installer of FreeBSD. sysinstall used to 
> assume as little prior knowledge or need to pre-read the Handbook and/or 
> FAQ or follow the lists as possible. Now it's seeming much more firmly 
> targeted at the already experienced user, and I feel that's regressive.
> 
> cheers, Ian


to play devils advocate, how many people do you know run a pure version of Linux? next to nobody does because there are distros built (ie, red hat, ubuntu, yellowdog...) that have the structuring together. I agree with the other person who mentioned PC-BSD as I agree that that would be perfect for a true newbie to *nix to install and use FreeBSD.

 

most linux people will know all about packages and should be able to fumble thru the package installer in sysinstall just fine until they find the ports list.

 

if the user is a complete newbie to *nix in general, we would all be refering them to the documentation, or a good published freebsd book.

 

I can definitely state from my beginnings with FreeBSD as my first *nix, the packages system is pretty easy to find software users are looking for. you could technically transpose your comments about users not knowing how to install xorg with a GUI like Gnome or KDE. its still boils down to the well labled meta- package/port.

 

but to sum it up. when i am introducing someone new to *nix and i want them to use freebsd, i point them to PC-BSD as it "just works", then when they get comfortable, i show them the rest of what freebsd has to offer them, and sometimes they switch to a straight freebsd install the next time they build a system.

 

-Sean