From owner-freebsd-questions@FreeBSD.ORG Thu Jul 30 21:14:41 2009 Return-Path: Delivered-To: freebsd-questions@freebsd.org Received: from mx1.freebsd.org (mx1.freebsd.org [IPv6:2001:4f8:fff6::34]) by hub.freebsd.org (Postfix) with ESMTP id 3E9591065695 for ; Thu, 30 Jul 2009 21:14:41 +0000 (UTC) (envelope-from af.gourmet@videotron.ca) Received: from relais.videotron.ca (relais.videotron.ca [24.201.245.36]) by mx1.freebsd.org (Postfix) with ESMTP id 0C1208FC18 for ; Thu, 30 Jul 2009 21:14:41 +0000 (UTC) (envelope-from af.gourmet@videotron.ca) MIME-version: 1.0 Content-transfer-encoding: 8BIT Content-type: text/plain; charset=UTF-8 Received: from [192.168.0.51] ([96.21.103.185]) by VL-MH-MR002.ip.videotron.ca (Sun Java(tm) System Messaging Server 6.3-4.01 (built Aug 3 2007; 32bit)) with ESMTP id <0KNM00J4C5OG3DL0@VL-MH-MR002.ip.videotron.ca> for freebsd-questions@freebsd.org; Thu, 30 Jul 2009 17:14:40 -0400 (EDT) Message-id: <4A720D3F.3090109@videotron.ca> Date: Thu, 30 Jul 2009 17:14:39 -0400 From: PJ User-Agent: Thunderbird 2.0.0.22 (Windows/20090605) To: Paul Schmehl References: <4A71DB2A.4040401@videotron.ca> <4A71F86A.6010603@videotron.ca> In-reply-to: Cc: freebsd-questions@freebsd.org Subject: Re: how to boot or access problem file system X-BeenThere: freebsd-questions@freebsd.org X-Mailman-Version: 2.1.5 Precedence: list List-Id: User questions List-Unsubscribe: , List-Archive: List-Post: List-Help: List-Subscribe: , X-List-Received-Date: Thu, 30 Jul 2009 21:14:41 -0000 Paul Schmehl wrote: > --On Thursday, July 30, 2009 14:45:46 -0500 PJ > wrote: >> >> Mike, >> I am not particularly interested in becoming a guru on FreeBSD. I just >> want to be able to use it productively... by that I do not mean make >> money, but get something achieved in the way of programming stuff for my >> own website etc. Having to "go back to school" to understand all the >> stuff about FBSD is a bit overkill. >> The real problem is that the instructions for upgrading and updating >> trip all over themselves and confuse the shit out of most of us who are >> not FBSD experts. Funny, that there are so many posts and wueries on >> google to fix things on FreeBSD. I found one that was very clear and the >> upgrade worked... >> yet there is something wrong with the upgrade since I cannot get X to >> recognize a puny little mouse. > > You need to run both dbus and hal if you want Xorg to detect your > mouse and keyboard. That requires you to add two lines to > /etc/rc.conf; hald_enable=YES and dbus_enable=YES. > >> And consequently I have no idea if >> Firefox is working or if flashplayer is working or acroread9 or anything >> for that matter. > > If you're doing website development and you need to have flash working > you need to find another OS. Flash on FreeBSD is unreliable at best. > Move to Ubuntu or CentOS or Gentoo or some other Linux flavor that can > run Flash natively. > >> And there are no explanations that are readily evident >> on what to use, when, how and where to use the different programs line >> the linux emulation... > > No matter what you use, there is going to be a learning curve. I've > just started using Vista Enterprise, and it drives me nuts. Things > aren't where I'm used to them being, and I can't find what I used to > know was there. And I was editing the registry in Windows 3.1 when > many people didn't even know there was a registry. > > All OSes take time to learn, some more than others. FreeBSD is on the > steeper side of the learning curve table, so maybe you shouldn't > invest the time. Life is too short to be constantly frustrated. >> >> I do appreciate the help you are offering as well as all the other guys >> who take time out to help us. >> It sounds, from what you are telling me, like it may be possible to do >> something with my problem computer... will try. > > If you are willing to invest the time, FreeBSD can be a great OS to > use. But nobody but you can run your box, and no amount of help can > overcome an unwillingness to take the time to learn. That's not an > indictment of you. Your priorities are not others' priorities. But > don't keep banging your head against the FreeBSD wall if you just want > to get an OS up and running and using Flash. > > Hell, buy a Mac. Then you'll have the best of both worlds. No way. But isn't it strange that it used to be pretty simple to upgrade and update. But recently, I notice that communication between the developers and users (or is it the manual page writers) are getting far away from the realities of user/operational needs. Oh, what's the sense of beating a dead horse, mechanics will never be writers... let's not kid ourselves. -- Hervé Kempf: "Pour sauver la planète, sortez du capitalisme." ------------------------------------------------------------- Phil Jourdan --- pj@ptahhotep.com http://www.ptahhotep.com http://www.chiccantine.com/andypantry.php