Date: Fri, 26 Jun 1998 23:59:30 -0400 (EDT) From: CyberPeasant <djv@bedford.net> To: Walker_Ian@ECR.net (Ian Walker) Cc: freebsd-questions@FreeBSD.ORG Subject: Re: Questions Message-ID: <199806270359.XAA04406@lucy.bedford.net> In-Reply-To: <000501bda140$8c9e37c0$ea2c73d1@default> from Ian Walker at "Jun 26, 98 04:25:23 pm"
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Ian Walker wrote:
[Charset iso-8859-1 unsupported, filtering to ASCII...]
> I am considering purchasing FreeBSD, but first I would like some
> information. First of all, my current setup is:
>
> Pentium 200MMX, 32mb RAM, PCI video card 8X CD-ROM, 16-bit sound card, and
> an available 540mb hard drive to dedicate to FreeBSD in addition to a 3gig.
> Running Win95 (soon to be Win98).
What precise model of video, cdrom and sound card? Can make a big difference.
You can tell a lot about compatibility just by booting the install disk
according to instructions -- but backing out of the installation. YOu're
not committed to a BSD install just by booting that disk.
> I have no previous experience with any type of UNIX OS. I have only one PC
> so I will need to duel-boot. I hope that you don't mind answering the
^^^^ :) sometimes I think this is the /right/ spelling :)
> following questions:
>
> Do you believe that installing this on my only PC is risky or wise?
It's risky -- ANY OS installation is, including just updating W95
or MS-DOS. If you can't backup the Windoze material, and you want
to keep it, you run the risk of losing everything. If you do the
installation to the entire 528MB disk, risk to the "newbie" will
be reduced, I think.
Many new users successfully install FreeBSD on a disk with an existing
W95 installation without problem. Study the documentation thoroughly
before proceding. /Make backups/.
> Do you believe that duel-booting between Win95/98 and FreeBSD will cause a
> problem with either? (IE, file format compatibility)
The two OS's (in the 'sane' installation :) are in separate disk partitions.
(Called slices in BSD-speak). Their file systems are radically different,
and W9x cannot access files on a Unix file system. FreeBSDS, OTOH, /can/
read and write to (most) M$ paritions.
You should be aware that executables from each operating system will
/not/ run on the other system. I.e. FreeBSD is not a W95 application,
nor vice-versa. The answer, I guess, is a flat "YES", file formats
are, in general, incompatible.
> If I install Win98
> after FreeBSD, will that be a problem?
Probably. M$ Os's are very intolerant of other OS's partitions, claim
that they are invalid, that the disk is damaged, that a virus exists,
etc etc, then proceed to "fix" the partition according to the M$ view
of the world. The behavior of all unixes, when confronted with a disk
partition that is not their own, is to leave it alone.
Usually it is possible to fix the damage M$ does, but Win 98 may have
"new features" :(. Typically W9x "fixes" the partition table, changing
the partition identifier byte. You then have to "fix" it back to the
right thing.
The hope is that once you install F'BSD, you will change your mind about
getting W98 and spend the money on something else, like some thick
books about Unix. :) In a couple of weeks, I hope to see a post from
you titled "How can I convert my other disk for FreeBSD use?"
> Because the download is time-consuming and leaves no backup other than
> re-downloading, I will be purchasing FreeBSD from a local store. Does it
This will eliminate a /lot/ of headaches.
> come with free updates? If so, are the updates full or do they patch the
> existing copy?
Updates are usually gotten over the net (for free). New releases
(i.e. any change in the numbers in 2.6.6) come out complete-in-themselves,
i.e. another CD-ROM set. Except for security patches, there is not
a general requirement to update between major releases. Patches
are distributed as source code, BTW, not binary patches like M$
"service paks". (Packages and ports -- two flavors of optional
software -- show more change between OS releases, since many of
them are authored by people not on the same schedule as FreeBSD.
These can be reloaded or rebuilt over the net /very/ easily.)
> I will inevitably need reference material because all of this will be new to
> me.
> Does the OS itself come with a manual? If not, do you have recommendations
> as to what I should look for?
There are many docs with the system, including a html handbook that
covers many introductory questions. Since BSD is a venerable flavor of
Unix, there are many publications. Browse www.ora.com for some very
good titles. Greg Lehey (a regular on this list) has written "The
Complete FreeBSD", which can be bought from walnut creek in the US.
> Is there anything else I should know before purchasing FreeBSD?
Whew. A lot :) The Handbook is on-line at www.freebsd.org and mirror
web sites. SPend some time with it.
> I appreciate your time and apologize for the length of this inquiry, but I
> need to be sure before going any further.
This is what the list is /for/!
Dave [not affiliated with freebsd.org]
--
http://www.microsoft.com/security: `Microsoft Windows NT Server is the most
secure network operating system available.'
Don Quixote: `You are mistaken, Sancho.'
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