From owner-freebsd-questions Tue Jul 30 6:35:29 2002 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 3B08B37B400 for ; Tue, 30 Jul 2002 06:35:26 -0700 (PDT) Received: from mail.idsi.net (mail.idsi.net [64.72.68.13]) by mx1.FreeBSD.org (Postfix) with ESMTP id A265843E42 for ; Tue, 30 Jul 2002 06:35:25 -0700 (PDT) (envelope-from christie@idsi.net) Received: from 216.195.222.146 (mail [64.72.68.13]) by mail.idsi.net (8.12.5/8.12.5) with SMTP id g6UDZdBG058469; Tue, 30 Jul 2002 09:35:40 -0400 (EDT) (envelope-from christie@idsi.net) In-Reply-To: <20020729163540.GL73294@freepuppy.bellavista.cz> Message-ID: X-Mailer: Infinity Data Systems WebMail 1.0.1 -- https://webmail.idsi.net X-SenderIP: 216.195.222.146 Date: Tue, 30 Jul 2002 09:35:39 EDT From: Peter Christie Subject: Re: What do we need in a FreeBSD desktop? To: Roman Neuhauser Cc: grog@lemis.com Cc: FreeBSD-Questions@freebsd.org X-RAVMilter-Version: 8.3.1(snapshot 20020109) (mail.idsi.net) Sender: owner-freebsd-questions@FreeBSD.ORG Precedence: bulk List-ID: List-Archive: (Web Archive) List-Help: (List Instructions) List-Subscribe: List-Unsubscribe: X-Loop: FreeBSD.ORG On 29 Jul 2002 12:36 EDT you wrote: > > Date: Mon, 29 Jul 2002 11:21:35 EDT > > From: Peter Christie > > Subject: Re: What do we need in a FreeBSD desktop? (was: Peter heads back to M$FT WinBloze [support groups]) > > To: grog@lemis.com > > Cc: FreeBSD-Questions@freebsd.org > > Hi Peter, > > please, keep the length of lines you emit below 73 chars, please. > Also, it would be very considerate of the freebsd mail servers if > you could snip irrelevant parts of the mail you reply to. I'm using a web-based e-mail client, and can't control line length, sorry . . . > > > As an aspiring hacker, I find the challenge of learing FreeBSD very > > rewarding in and of itself, but would I put it on my 'home' computer > > for my wife and kids to use? not as it is now . . . it's hard enough > > keeping them up and runnning with windoze, and the kids are into games > > mostly, and FreeBSD is not a good gaming platform. I could probably > > get the wife converted, as she mostly uses the net for web browsing > > and e-mail. > > Pardon me, but if it's hard enough for someone to operate windows, > why should freebsd try to be *the* os for them? clearly, and it's > been said too many times, use a tool you can manage. I didn't say M$ windoze was hard to operate, I did say it was hard to keep them up and running on windoze, with 3D video cards and force feedback joysticks and digital cameras and . . . I wouldn't want that challenge on a FreeBSD machine at this point in my learning. > > > But the idea here is to set up a "convert" (be it from M$, Mac, or > > otherwise) with a 'basic' desktop system that can be up and running > > with minimum effort and complications. This would let more people > > 'use' FreeBSD as a desktop, and provide feedback for the developers. > > hm, i'm afraid freebsd is not for the faint of heart. if you're > a {windows, mac} convert, you better start learning with a unixlike > os aimed at you: redhat, mandrake, suse. *or* you have to get > ready to rtfm, rtfm, rtfm. > > which is what i did. it's not a coincidence i oppose the idea of > converting freebsd to another dualbooter's toy. the nature of > freebsd has been very attractive to me, and i'm really glad this os > is what it is. > I too am glad FreeBSD is what it is, and I utfm as needed ; ) I'm not really suggesting changing the nature of FreeBSD, but I do think an easy to install, get up and running, basic desktop enviornment would greatly increase its user-base. . . advanced users could certainly choose the current stand/sysinstall as a new user (which I still consider myself) I would certainly appreciate someone weeding through the 7000 ports and coming up with a basic set of programs which would provide a good starting point from which to work. > after all, choice is a Good Thing(TM). if freebsd turns into Just > Another Linux Distro, why would anyone (read: i) want to use it? > > > FreeBSD will never be a great desktop OS if you don't build a huge > > user-base, which will then get you support from manufacturers for > > drivers and such, as well as the 'other' software companies for > > user-land apps / games. > > i don't think this holds water, strictly speaking. freebsd already > *is* a great desktop os: what is a "great desktop os" lies in the > eye of the beholder. i've been using freebsd exclusively > since last september. *for me*, it is the best desktop os i've ever > used. it supports all the hardware and software i use, with just the > right "ease of use". > > i put the term "ease of use" in quotes, because it's actually > something that is in the eye of the beholder, again. > I still think a larger user-base would make hardware and software companies provide better support for FreeBSD, which would further increase FreeBSD's user-base . . . FreeBSD wasn't written for 'YOU', I'm certainly glad you find it useful, but it should be made to appeal to as wide an audience as possible. Pete C To Unsubscribe: send mail to majordomo@FreeBSD.org with "unsubscribe freebsd-questions" in the body of the message