Date: Mon, 18 Mar 2013 08:14:29 -0700 From: Chris Benesch <chris.benesch@gmail.com> To: freebsd-advocacy@freebsd.org Subject: Re: Did someone compare the number of ports with packages in Linux distros? Message-ID: <51472F55.5030503@gmail.com> In-Reply-To: <CAOgwaMv3wjLQu383ok5zqGtk__n=5aeCXXMB_ajzYePu0jp6og@mail.gmail.com> References: <20130317212401.0000376f@unknown> <D73C4630-5467-4276-84B8-5EEB7CB1A8EA@FreeBSD.org> <86vc8p5cat.fsf@ds4.des.no> <86li9l54e9.fsf@ds4.des.no> <CAOgwaMsf2xN0kptBt6j6N7xcvUF0xQK%2BJgosHRS54xc60fctUw@mail.gmail.com> <86hak86cz8.fsf@ds4.des.no> <CAOgwaMv3wjLQu383ok5zqGtk__n=5aeCXXMB_ajzYePu0jp6og@mail.gmail.com>
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On 3/18/2013 7:40 AM, Mehmet Erol Sanliturk wrote: > On Mon, Mar 18, 2013 at 6:42 AM, Dag-Erling Smørgrav <des@des.no> wrote: > >> Mehmet Erol Sanliturk <m.e.sanliturk@gmail.com> writes: >>> Install many packages by pkg_add . >>> When a desktop ( KDE . FluxBox , Gnome ) is started : >>> Mouse , key board is NOT working , they are solid rock . >>> To mount removable media : I could not find a way to it . >> That is not my experience. Simply installing x11/gnome2 gives me a >> functional desktop, and AFAIR Gnome automounts CDs and memory sticks. >> The only trouble I've had was hald and moused arguing over who gets to >> talk to the mouse, which I fixed by disabling moused in rc.conf. >> >>> For example : Version 9.1 Release DVD has some packages , but during >>> install , there is NO any way to install them . >> because of this: >> >> http://www.freebsd.org/news/2012-compromise.html >> >> We have a number of people working very hard (too hard, in some cases) >> to ensure that this does not happen again and that 8.4 and 9.2 ship with >> a full set of packages. It wouldn't hurt to show some gratitude. >> >> DES >> -- >> Dag-Erling Smørgrav - des@des.no >> > > Please , do not understand me that I am against the efforts of very > valuable developers and contributors of the FreeBSD . > > All of my complaints are result of my gratitude against them and their > products . > > > My wish always is to see that FreeBSD is much more widely adopted , and > used . To reach such a case needs to eliminate harsh points for the > beginners . An "expert" can do anything he/she wants , but number of > "expert" people is small with respect to number of new beginners . > > > For that reason , please do not compare yours and others ( others are new > beginners ) . > > Thank you very much . > > > Mehmet Erol Sanliturk > _______________________________________________ > freebsd-advocacy@freebsd.org mailing list > http://lists.freebsd.org/mailman/listinfo/freebsd-advocacy > To unsubscribe, send any mail to "freebsd-advocacy-unsubscribe@freebsd.org" I would think that distributions like PC-BSD would address issues like a recommended package group, which are aimed at consumer desktop users. I have been out of the Linux world for a while, relying on BSD for my *nix needs, but from what I remember, and comparing to Free or Open BSD, the difference is night and day. Lets take gcc for instance. To install gcc on BSD, you need the gcc port and a few support packages, such as readline, gettext, intl, etc... but thats it. On Linux you need gcc, gcc-devel, gcc-headers, kernel-headers, gcc-libs, a whole lot more complex. The difference comes from a basic philosophical difference. BSD IMHO seeks to be truly open source, the license is quick and easy, and all of the software comes with all sources and headers included. Even things that are notoriously closed source like Java. Linux seeks to straddle the line of open and closed source. Maybe it is to appeal to a wider market of suppliers and users so that more software can be ported, but we have seen that doesnt really work out that way. The GPL is overly long and convoluted if anyone bothers to actually read it instead of just saying yes. The answer lies in the marketing. Linux and its rebellious beginnings appeal to people better than BSD for some reason, when in actuality it was a guy from Scandinavia experimenting with the new 386 processors vs. a group that was there when Unix was originally invented. That and the packaging. Linux has an "I'll do it all for you, you dont have to make any decisions" approach to its installer vs. BSDs "Heres what you should do, but go ahead and change it if you want" approach. The various offshoots of BSD aimed at desktop users have a good idea, but personally I think they are overreaching. Myself if I were to engage in one of those projects, I would number the versions along with the version of FreeBSD I was supporting (9.1, etc...), nobody wants v 1.1 anymore, rewrite the installer to run in an SVGA driven X environment (everyone supports VBE now, we dont have to be backwards compatible to 1991, and if for some reason it doesnt work, there is always good ol text mode). Make the bootloader play nice with Windoze, and install a set of recommended packages that has for example a KDE or Gnome setup with email, office/productivity tools, a base set of multimedia player (and yes, lets get over the butthurt over MP3 support, it should do that out of the box) and codecs, and some cool looking themes and I think we could get good consumer market penetration. Couple that with a good marketing campaign, some real life testimonials, and maybe a deal with an OEM like Tigerdirect or Frys to have PCs shipped with it preinstalled, and you would see it walk over Linux in a heartbeat. Lets face it, we have the better product, no? Heck I'll put myself out as the l33t rebel so the maketing can appeal to the script kiddies too, LULZ. Anyway, just my $.02
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