From owner-freebsd-questions@FreeBSD.ORG Tue Oct 12 20:49:24 2004 Return-Path: Delivered-To: freebsd-questions@freebsd.org Received: from mx1.FreeBSD.org (mx1.freebsd.org [216.136.204.125]) by hub.freebsd.org (Postfix) with ESMTP id 3B86216A4CE for ; Tue, 12 Oct 2004 20:49:24 +0000 (GMT) Received: from dnsmail4.ior.navy.mil (noca.ior.navy.mil [205.56.210.194]) by mx1.FreeBSD.org (Postfix) with ESMTP id D143243D41 for ; Tue, 12 Oct 2004 20:49:19 +0000 (GMT) (envelope-from JohnsoBS@vicksburg.navy.mil) Received: from cg69ubd01.vicksburg.navy.mil ([205.95.65.21]) i9CKlXue015549; Tue, 12 Oct 2004 20:47:37 GMT Received: by CG69UBD01 with Internet Mail Service (5.5.2657.72) id <4QZ7TRFH>; Tue, 12 Oct 2004 23:52:22 +0300 Message-ID: From: JohnsoBS@vicksburg.navy.mil To: nlunkel@ig.com.br, freebsd-questions@freebsd.org Date: Tue, 12 Oct 2004 23:52:20 +0300 X-Mailer: Internet Mail Service (5.5.2657.72) Subject: RE: Installer X-BeenThere: freebsd-questions@freebsd.org X-Mailman-Version: 2.1.1 Precedence: list List-Id: User questions List-Unsubscribe: , List-Archive: List-Post: List-Help: List-Subscribe: , X-List-Received-Date: Tue, 12 Oct 2004 20:49:24 -0000 > -----Original Message----- > From: Newton [mailto:nlunkel@ig.com.br] > Sent: Tuesday, October 12, 2004 10:15 PM > To: freebsd-questions@freebsd.org > Subject: Installer > > > Dear Friends : I'm a Linux user since 1,999 and I'm really > interested in > start FreeBSD. OK, it's a new system, different versions and > so on. My > experience with computers started with Basic, after MS-DOS, > Windows and > Linux. When I tried Linux, 5 years-ago, partitions, kde, > window maker > and many of them, were only words. My first fear, was erase > my HD. I did > it many times, but I knew how to start again or recover. I'm writing > these things, cause in these years using Linux, I saw a big > evolution , > specially the installer. Mandrake, Red Hat, Fedora, Slackware and > another, made a goob job and you can do it , almost without problems. > But, when I tried FreeBSD installer, I remembered Debian, the worst > installer ! Probably another distributions, like Knoppix, Kurumin , > Gnoppix to name a few, trying to make the life user easiest ! > My first > experience with FreeBSD, was 5.0, with a PC Master, brazilian > magazine. > After many tries, a XFree86 error, when I typed startx, > disappointed me > again and, I forgot it... On the last month, I downloaded the 2 CDs, > 5.2.1, and, the same installer, errors, infinite loops... very > disappointing ! I tried many lists, and with some support,to > resolve or > not, the problems. Again, I format my system and, here I am, with > Windows (mainly for games and a problematic usb scanner) and Linux. I > need a more stable system. Many people talked me very good about > FreeBSD. For me, until now , the biggest deception ! Please, I don't > know the FreeBSD objectives, but if you would like that more and more > people can use it, CHANGE this installer. Confuse , in one word ! > Disappointing ! I tried standard, express, custom , all packages, > minimum, all kind of ways... I can't understand a looped > install. Almost > 2 hours after, an error... My video card is recognized , but when you > did post-install, not ! You tried many XFrre86 configs and > not.... When > something happens and finally you can start KDE or GNOME or another, > DHCP don't run and so on. Please change this installer and trying to > better hardware and network configuration ! Until this, I'll > never tried > FreeBSD again ! Sincerely, Newton - Curitiba - Brazil > Coming from a DOS, then Windows, then god knows how many linux distributions, I was quite fond of the FreeBSD installer. I find it straightforward and easy to navigate and get done quickly. First time I ever installed a FreeBSD system it took me 15 minutes from putting the cd in, booting it, installing and rebooting back into a running OS. Your problems if I am reading what you are saying correctly seem to stem greatly from X. Well, X is a buggy installer and should be tackled outside of the FreeBSD installer anyway. The installer imo is just that. It installs an OS. Anything extra should done by hand or that applications specific config routines. The minimal installer FreeBSD uses makes its installing on low end systems easier and quicker also. I recommened you do a bare minimal base install, and then hand built or package add everything you require afterwards. This is how I have done things now for the past 4 years on everything I have installed it on and have been most happy this way. Brian Johnson USS Vicksburg Currently deployed at sea in Arabian Gulf.