Brilliant and very useful for FreeBSD, IMHO

[kitsune]

On Mon, 07 Apr 2003 07:23:31 -0500
Eric Anderson <anderson at centtech.com> wrote:

> Roger 'Rocky' Vetterberg wrote:
> [..snip..]
> > I love FreeBSD, but not even I would get the idea to run it as a 
> > desktop. It's not good at it, and if someone asks for my opinion, I hope 
> > it never will be.
> > Even Microsoft have realised that it takes a different os to run a 
> > server then a desktop. They have a plethora of different editions, like 
> > XP Home Edition and W2K Advanced Server. As long as FreeBSD excels on 
> > servers, chances are it will not make a perfect desktop.
> > I say we have enough desktop os's, lets keep FreeBSD kicking ass on the 
> > servers.

The window thing has nothing to do with technical capabilities, but with that microsoft does not want to make a OS that works nicely as a server and is for the average user. That way they can sell two and make more money.


> Well, I'm just about 180 degrees different on the desktop OS theory as 
> you are.  I've been using FreeBSD as my desktop OS for several years 
> now.  I run it on my notebook (which I am using now), and my desktop. 
> Both are my "workstations" - my desktop rarely gets rebooted, and of 
> course my notebook is like my wallet, with me everywhere I go.
> 
> It's actually the finest desktop OS I have ever used.  Now, I do have XP 
> installed on my notebook, but I rarely boot into it.  In fact, I only do 
> so to test Windows things for my users.  I'm not a big fan of "super 
> mario windows" looking GUI's (like the default XP setup - eek!), but I 
> can appreciate a decent UI when I see one.  Windows isn't there yet. 
> Now, I'm a KISS (keep it simple, stupid) believer, so I run fluxbox. 
> It's so darn easy to config, and so simple to use.
> 
> Just for informations sake, I taught my wife to use FreeBSD as her 
> desktop OS in about 15 minutes.  She got used to fluxbox and used it 
> like she has known it for years.  Also, recently I showed a unix 
> "newbie" FreeBSD, and let him play with is and several Linux os's, and 
> he finally decided on FreeBSD because (in his words) "it's just so 
> simple and easy to get things done".
> 
> Just my $0.02.
> 
> Eric

I Agree. FreeBSD works great for desktops/workstations. I have it installed on all my boxes using fluxbox.

I managed to teach my sister to use freebsd in 30 minutes. When I built a comp for her a few months ago with FreeBSD 4.7 on it.