Date: Thu, 06 Aug 2009 22:48:10 +0300 From: Manolis Kiagias <sonicy@otenet.gr> To: Al Plant <noc@hdk5.net> Cc: freebsd-questions@freebsd.org, Mark Stapper <stark@mapper.nl>, Bernt Hansson <bernt@bah.homeip.net> Subject: Re: FreeBSD for the common man(or woman) Message-ID: <4A7B337A.5030009@otenet.gr> In-Reply-To: <4A7B2FA3.5020603@hdk5.net> References: <4A76FB32.9050601@videotron.ca> <20090803215319.8fad2441.freebsd@edvax.de> <4A798DF2.3020305@videotron.ca> <200908051651.53302.j.mckeown@ru.ac.za> <20090805203337.c6f74172.freebsd@edvax.de> <h5crnd$f9m$1@ger.gmane.org> <4A7A89B3.6010206@mapper.nl> <4A7A8CDB.20004@infracaninophile.co.uk> <4A7B16F2.7080304@bah.homeip.net> <4A7B2FA3.5020603@hdk5.net>
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Al Plant wrote: > Bernt Hansson wrote: >> Matthew Seaman skrev: >>> Mark Stapper wrote: >>> >>> >>>> In light of this, I would really enjoy seeing a "Ubuntu" like movement >>>> in the FreeBSD corner. >>>> What I mean is that it would be nice for my mother to install and use >>>> FreeBSD. >>> >>> It's called PC-BSD. >> >> Have a look at Manolis Kiagias work at >> http://freebsd-custom.wikidot.com/downloads-page >> >> Haven't tried it my self, but it seems I'm going to. >> > Aloha, > > Manolis download worked for me. I used it to install a 7.2 FreeBSD on > a Sandisk Flash stick. And I can bring it up from the USB port on my > netbook. Works fine except for printing on network. Have to work on > setting up the printcap properly. > Thanks for the mention ;) I should however note that although this work takes out most of the compiling steps (and I plan to expand the range of pre-built packages soon), it is still not "a common man's OS", as all the configuration steps are manual. I am also developing some shell scripts that will automate a considerable part of post-setup configuration, but these will need to be tweaked accordingly. It will never become a CD you can give to your dad to install, but will certainly reduce the time an intermediate / seasoned FreeBSDer will need to install a new desktop. There are more than a few things that prevent FreeBSD from becoming friendly to a non-expert, non-willing-to-study-docs user. PC-BSD deals with many of them (preinstalled NVidia, flash support, PBI system) and it gets better all the time. Although if the point is getting a simple user to move away from Windows, most any desktop oriented linux distro will probably do the job. Such a user won't need to have all the choices and absolute control that FreeBSD provides to all of us.
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