Date: Fri, 10 Apr 2020 20:23:20 +0000 From: Rick Macklem <rmacklem@uoguelph.ca> To: Mike Remski <mremski@comcast.net>, "freebsd-hackers@freebsd.org" <freebsd-hackers@freebsd.org> Subject: Re: Ars Technica article on FreeBSD new user experience Message-ID: <QB1PR01MB3649CB3E113A4591FAD6BEF7DDDE0@QB1PR01MB3649.CANPRD01.PROD.OUTLOOK.COM> In-Reply-To: <9bc85f04-ed38-4d5a-bec3-551079cdcb2b@comcast.net> References: <CAPyFy2AVfEzey0%2B9-b8ZS1uyn8ODOoNhCHY7fHp2uc9ASiw%2BnA@mail.gmail.com> <QB1PR01MB3649C0BF47DD657D625BCB79DDC10@QB1PR01MB3649.CANPRD01.PROD.OUTLOOK.COM>, <9bc85f04-ed38-4d5a-bec3-551079cdcb2b@comcast.net>
next in thread | previous in thread | raw e-mail | index | archive | help
Mike Remski wrote: >On Thursday, April 9, 2020 5:39:45 PM EDT, Rick Macklem wrote: >> Ed Maste <emaste@freebsd.org> wrote: >>> Jim Salter has an article in Ars Technica discussing his experience >>> with FreeBSD 12.1 as a desktop: >>> https://arstechnica.com/gadgets/2020/04/not-actually-linux-distro-review-freebsd-12-1-release/ >>> >>> There are some points in there that might involve misunderstanding, >>> but there are also a number of real issues raised about the experience ... >> Since this is a public mailing list, I'll repost here... >> >> One thought here that I'll throw out (I have no idea if others >> have suggested >> this before)… >> What about creating a separate release for desktops/laptops that installs >> X Windows etc from a simple installer "out of the box"? >> --> To keep it simple, don't try to support all hardware, just >> stuff that is widely >> available and already well supported by the drivers in FreeBSD. >> Obviously amd64 only plus a few widely available display >> chip sets that work >> well, etc and so on... >> >> If it doesn't support the hardware someone has, then they can go the regular >> release/install route. (It would be nice to maintain an up to >> date list of what >> hardware it supports, but it might be easier to just have it >> start up live CD >> style and then see if the hardware it needs is there. >> --> Sorry, can't do this display chipset to that sound chip or... >> >> Just an idea, rick >> ps: I am not volunteering to help do this. I run FreeBSD on laptop/desktop >> systems, but bare bones. No X Windows... > >Something like what old PCBSD did? How about FuryBSD as a starting point? >Joe Maloney is layering either XFCE or KDE (2 different ISO/install media) >on top of a FreeBSD install, so out of the box, the install gives you >FreeBSD with either XFCE or KDE. Yes. I'll admit I didn't know FuryBSD existed until now, but if the web page is accurate, it would be fine. Maybe all that should be done is a reference to it on FreeBSD's web page. "If you are new to FreeBSD and want a desktop system, you could try..." FreeNAS should be mentioned as well, for people who want a NAS server, imho. Although I said a new FreeBSD release, I don't see why it needs to be done by the FreeBSD project itself, just that I didn't realize others were currently doing this. Maybe someone should ask the author of this article to try FuryBSD? >Disclaimer: I've been using FreeBSD with X as a daily driver for a long >time and honestly never found it that difficult to set up. Hardest was >when everything started to need the drm-kmod bits, but once I understood >what I needed to do, it's not been an issue. I feel about the same w.r.t. NFS servers. However, I've known good technical people who just haven't used FreeBSD who have found FreeNAS worked just fine whereas setting up a server using a FreeBSD release didn't work for them. rick _______________________________________________ freebsd-hackers@freebsd.org mailing list https://lists.freebsd.org/mailman/listinfo/freebsd-hackers To unsubscribe, send any mail to "freebsd-hackers-unsubscribe@freebsd.org"
Want to link to this message? Use this URL: <https://mail-archive.FreeBSD.org/cgi/mid.cgi?QB1PR01MB3649CB3E113A4591FAD6BEF7DDDE0>