FreeBSD 7.1 Content

[Dan Allen]

BACKGROUND:

A few years ago one could get a FreeBSD CD and install X and get a  
decent basic system from one CD.

One can still do this with Ubuntu today as well.

Why can't we have a small window manager like icewm along with Firefox  
3.0+ be among the packages on the first FreeBSD CD so a basic working  
system with a web browser can be a default install?  Is it that X.org  
is now too big?

I have been a FreeBSD user/builder for more than a decade because of / 
usr/src/make - complete sources and a beautiful build system, but I  
must admit that Ubuntu has done a great job of modern hardware  
detection and providing a nice useable system out of the box.  I wish  
we could join both worlds in a future BSD release.  (I crashed Ubuntu  
8.04 in the first day so I still prefer BSD to Linux.)

Also, and I am sure I am not the only one with one of these, my new  
$500 Dell Inspiron 1525 is not supported well by BSD RELENG_7: the  
Intel 4965 wireless and the Marvell 88E80xx Ethernet are both NOT  
supported so I have a great new laptop which cannot connect to the  
outside world with BSD.  :-(  Ubuntu supports these and lots more.

SUMMARY:

I would like to see FreeBSD 7.1 add to its disc1:

1) X.org
2) icewm
3) firefox-3.0
4) support for Intel 4965 wireless drivers
5) support for Marvell 88E8040 ethernet driver

Dan Allen