How Do I Surf From FBSD?

[Jerry McAllister]

On Thu, Mar 22, 2007 at 01:22:15PM -0700, Stan Cooper wrote:

> Hi;
> I have a server I just built with FBSD and I'd like to be able to surf using
> a browser. What do I need to build to make that happen?
> Thanks,
> Stan2

First you need to configure X-windows and have it running.
You configure it first to properly run you graphics card
and monitor, keyboard and mouse.   Once you are happy with that
then you edit:   /usr/X11R6/lib/X11/xinit/xinitrc  
and set it up so it starts with the xterms and such that you want.
You can make individual xinitrc-s for users and put them in
their home directories as .xinitrc as well.   Copy that file
and modify it to suit.

Then
  CD to:   /usr/ports/www/firefox
  Type:    make clean
           make
           make install
           make distclean

Now you have the firefox browser installed.
You can start it from the command line and/or you can
hook it up with an icon in your X-windows window manager.
Each window manager is different.   

I have been using AfterStep which is kind of basic - no frills.   
I have been lazy with it (and maybe a little ignorant), so I just 
replace Netscape startup with Firefox startup by editing the 
AfterStep setup file:  
  /usr/X11R6/lib/X11/afterstep/system.steprc
and changing the line that reads:  
   *Wharf Netscape netscape3.xpm Exec "-" netscape &
to be: 
   *Wharf Netscape netscape3.xpm Exec "-" firefox &
Then when I click on the Netscape icon it starts firefox.
There is no doubt a nice Firefox icon I could put there
in place of the netscape3.xmp but I haven't bothered to
look for it.

voila, you have a browser.

There are others such as Opera that are popular.  Look
in that   /usr/ports/www    directory to find scads of stuff
including three or four browsers you can install.   

In addition to this KDE and Gnome install browsers if you
install one of them.   I don't bother with them because they
are too much bloat for my purposes, but a lot of people use them.

Learn as much as you can about the ports  (/usr/ports) system
if you want to get a lot out of FreeBSD.  That is where you
find all the nice things you can easily install and use.

////jerry

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