Date: Wed, 23 Dec 2009 18:52:57 -0500 From: Allen <DooMnix@comcast.net> To: freebsd-advocacy@freebsd.org Subject: Re: why BSDs got no love Message-ID: <4B32AD59.6000102@comcast.net> In-Reply-To: <16cc50f20912222355t4f5b7ba1kb593774e81c92b9e@mail.gmail.com> References: <541b7a870912150733m4bc34148j98790a6142d4521c@mail.gmail.com> <20091223032410.GA25393@comcast.net> <16cc50f20912222355t4f5b7ba1kb593774e81c92b9e@mail.gmail.com>
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Shane Calimlim wrote: > +1 to a better installer, graphical or not. > I'd settle for one that while installing packages you've selected, doesn't sit there saying to switch discs in what seems to be a very random order... I still think that would help a lot.... Why DOES the installer do that exactly? I can't tell you how many times I've been sitting there installing, walked away, and then saw that a package was on another disk, and it was either switch, or, not get it installed.... And I have decided to wait for disk switching sometimes, but I noticed the packages that get skipped for now generally don't install. So basically, it would be nice if the install was more in the way of installing packages in disk order. Like for example: You start installing, and instead of it saying you need to switch disks, it instead finds ALL the packages you're going to install that are in that disk, installs them, THEN tells you to put in disc #2 or #3 or whatever. Personally I'd be happy with the BSD version of the Slackware installation. Slackware looks a lot like FreeBSD's installation, but the disks and package installations go in order and it doesn't ask you to put another one back in because it installs all packages in groups on each disk, and so after the first disk is finished, you put the second in, and it continues, and so on, and the only time you would ever put the first back in, is when it was Kernel time, which now isn't even a problem either, because now it installs in disk order all the way. Sorry, I know that was a lot of text, but I use FreeBSD and Linux, and both are in use in my network, and I like having both. I would just really like to see some good changes to FreeBSD, and I don't think a GUI installer is the requirement. A GUI install could be like an option, maybe, like Linux, where you have the option to install either in text mode, or GUI mode, but I'd say get the disc switching sorted first. FreeBSD is a great OS, and once the install is done, you start up GDM or KDM, or whatever you like, and literally anyone including my Mom, can use it. I once set up a machine with Linux where it would auto boot into KDM, my Mom could log in, "just like at work!" and then I set up the desktop so that Firefox and something else was there on the desktop, and my Mom would go and use it like it was Windows. It was very simple, and securing it was very easy, and She asked why the anti virus wasn't constantly asking Her to update and taking up CPU time constantly at boot up, and I simply said it wasn't needed, nor were reboots. She Liked it. To make FreeBSD better, try this, as it's my opinion: 1. Sort out the order in which CDs need to be switched. 2. If the installer is to be changed, why not make it similar to the Slackware one? It's basically like FreeBSD, but goes in a specific order someone on here said would be nice. 3. Making it easier to install patches would probably help A LOT. I know if you could do things like you can in Linux or Windows where you just install patches with a few clicks, it would be much easier for new users. People who use Slackware, can use wget, and upgradepkg packagename.tgz and it's done. SuSE is basically easier than Windows, it grabs them for you, checks for you, everything. And if you want patches in a different way, you tell it not to check at all and you can then do it by hand. Debian has apt-get, and with one line of commands, I can update servers, then upgrade packages, and that's very simple, compared to FreeBSD, where you have to install updates for the base system, THEN updates for the ports, which is prone to breaking if you do something wrong. I think FreeBSD would benefit greatly from a simpler way of installing patches and things. freebsd-update and portupgrade are nice, but, what about something that has a GUI that checks a server for updates, or, you can tell it to check, and then it downloads and installs them for you? That would probably get more Linux users in, and some Windows users who feel like trying it.
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