Date: Sat, 27 Jun 1998 23:42:36 -0400 (EDT) From: CyberPeasant <djv@lucy.bedford.net> To: Walker_Ian@ECR.net (Ian Walker) Cc: freebsd-questions@FreeBSD.ORG Subject: Re: Questions Message-ID: <199806280342.XAA13937@lucy.bedford.net> In-Reply-To: <004101bda239$bc804380$e82c73d1@default> from Ian Walker at "Jun 27, 98 10:09:08 pm"
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Ian Walker wrote [Charset iso-8859-1 unsupported, filtering to ASCII...] > Thank you for your prompt response. I am checking with the manufacturers > about hardware compatibility. I do have a couple more questions, though. The manufacturers often are clueless or hostile. The answer you will get from some is 'We don't support Unix'. Some have told me (Toshiba, Inc) that running Unix voids their warranty. Not so. We cleared that up... it voids their warranty for NT, which was what was installed by the Mfg. No problem with that. The authoritative answer to "Does XXX work with FreeBSD?" is found from FreeBSD, not the mfg. If you post the mfg's name and model number, the list will have the info. you need. The answers on the list come from volunteers, some officially associated with FreeBSD Inc, others, like me, just random bums who like to type, and who think they know something. Critical hardware: Motherboard, *Disk Controller, Disk Drive(s), *Network (ethernet card), Monitor, *Video Card, CDROM drive, Sound Card, *Modem. The *starred ones are where problems arise, IMHO. Most /common/ hardware will work fine, particularly SCSI drives, IDE drives. Some graphics cards are not supported well (if at all) under X, the (optional) windowing system (not part of FreeBSD, but shipped with it). /* WINMODEMS, a kind of cheap modem that requires a special software driver under W95, DO NOT WORK WITH ANY UNIX SYSTEM, to my knowledge */ /* Even if a driver were written, you wouldn't want it. Winmodems use the CPU too much, in short. Sell it to a W95 user, and get a "real" modem. */ If it is "common", and not a new model introduced in the last 6 months, it is /probably/ supported. ** Your first resource for support information, hardware compatibility, ** software availability is the web page, www.freebsd.org. There's ** a lot of info available there. The degree of support available is, essentially, unlimited, reliable in most cases, and puts many commercial support activities to shame, particularly Microsoft's "a) Tell him it's a feature b) put him on hold c) tell him to buy an upgrade" model. subject to the limitations of e-mail, you will get answers. Using the list means that the answer you get will be posted to the list, and if the answerer makes an error, somebody will pounce on it. Some "Big Guns" read the list regularly, and are quick to point out mistakes. Often you will get answers straight from the person who wrote the software in question. This is unheard of in the M$ world. > Do the makers of FreeBSD offer support in case I have trouble installing > FreeBSD or it somehow manages to wipe-out or damage my system? You're lookin' at it. (The freebsd-questions mailing list, I mean). Your main danger is in wiping out a previous Windoze installation, which can happen through a mistake on your part, during the partitioning of the harddisk. Backup allows you to recover from this by re-installing Windoze, and your site-specific files. Hardware damage is not going to happen due to FreeBSD. [Well, you can damage a monitor by really abusing X Window System installation. You kinda have to /try/ to screw it up, though]. I'm not trying to scare you off, but to give you the "straight dope" rather than some sales pitch. My personal opinion is that FreeBSD installation is as smooth as a baby's butt, and almost impossible to screw up -- but it can be screwed up. I do installations without backing up, but I'm an "old hand", having diddled around with this and similar systems since punched cards, and if I shoot myself in the foot, I don't blame the gun. I've found that pain is a great teacher, and fear, a powerful aid to concentration. But I can't recommend that approach to others. > I see several UNIX versions of various software titles with subclasses like > Linux, AIX, Irix, Solaris, etc. There is never a listing for FreeBSD. If I > needed a FreeBSD version of the software, which do I choose? For "binaries", i.e. pre-compiled software, there may be an explicit freebsd version. If not, the linux version may execute, using the linux-emulation capabilities of FreeBSD. NetBSD and OpenBSD binaries can, I believe, also, /in general/ be run, but I don't know about this. Most of the software that people run is "free software", which is distributed in source code. These distributions can need some tweaking before it will compile correctly (regardless of OS). For Free- (and Open- and Net- )BSD these tweaks have been done by others, and are available as part of the OS-distribution. THese are called "ports", and about 900-1000 of them are currently available. Precompiled versions of these ports, called "packages", are also available. (on the FTP site, or on the CDROMs). Again, the questions list is a prime resource. "I need a program for XYZ". > Thank you again for your help. > Sure. Some remarks re W98: it's only been out on the street for three days, and I don't use any M$ operating system. I'd watch the list for reports of problems upgrading W95->W98 on top of a dual-boot W95/FreeBSD system. These, if any, should begin surfacing this week. Watch for posts like 'W98 HOSED MY BSD!'. I've taken the liberty of CC'ing this response to the list for the comments of others. Since you're being cautious, I'd recommend subscribing to the freebsd-questions list, (send mail to majordomo@freebsd.org, with a body saying "subscribe freebsd-questions", [no quotes]), and reading it for a week or two. If the website doesn't answer your questions about hardware compat. post to the list. freebsd-questions is technically oriented. There is a "moral support" mailing list, freebsd-newbies. Dave To Unsubscribe: send mail to majordomo@FreeBSD.org with "unsubscribe freebsd-questions" in the body of the message
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