Chapter 23

[Manolis Kiagias]

Jonah Sinowitz wrote:
> Dear Manolis,
>  
> Thanks for the quick response.
>  
> In the introductory course I took, we did *exactly *as you said: we 
> downloaded the release CD and then worked through  the equivalent of 
> the first few chapters of the Handbook. We then moved very very 
> quickly to the "Common Tasks" section of the Handbook, "Chapter 8", 
> and configured the kernel.
> After this experience, my thought was -- /if /"Configuring the FreeBSD 
> Kernel" is a common task, so are many of those tasks listed in "The 
> Cutting Edge".   
>  
> Does this make sense?
>  
> Best,
> Jonah

Well, it depends on the audience.

Many people choose to stay with -RELEASE (especially on servers), others 
run -STABLE on their desktops or when -RELEASE has a problem with their 
hardware.
People who are actively developing (low level) stuff usually run 
CURRENT. I certainly know of people who compile CURRENT daily...
Creating a custom kernel is a relatively easy task, once you grasp the 
basics, but compiling the rest of the system is something that a lot of 
people may never need. Enthusiasts will do it anyway, just to learn how :)
I suggest you give -STABLE a try if you are so inclined, it is a good 
learning experience.