From owner-freebsd-questions@FreeBSD.ORG Sat Jan 28 02:15:58 2006 Return-Path: X-Original-To: freebsd-questions@freebsd.org 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 E358616A420 for ; Sat, 28 Jan 2006 02:15:57 +0000 (GMT) (envelope-from jozef.baum@telenet.be) Received: from asia.telenet-ops.be (asia.telenet-ops.be [195.130.137.74]) by mx1.FreeBSD.org (Postfix) with ESMTP id 2D99943D45 for ; Sat, 28 Jan 2006 02:15:56 +0000 (GMT) (envelope-from jozef.baum@telenet.be) Received: from localhost (localhost.localdomain [127.0.0.1]) by asia.telenet-ops.be (Postfix) with SMTP id C7B9E38066 for ; Sat, 28 Jan 2006 03:15:55 +0100 (CET) Received: from Berchtesgaden (dD577F075.access.telenet.be [213.119.240.117]) by asia.telenet-ops.be (Postfix) with SMTP id 3493B38017 for ; Sat, 28 Jan 2006 03:15:55 +0100 (CET) From: "Jozef Baum" To: Date: Sat, 28 Jan 2006 03:16:04 +0100 Message-ID: MIME-Version: 1.0 X-Priority: 3 (Normal) X-MSMail-Priority: Normal X-Mailer: Microsoft Outlook IMO, Build 9.0.2416 (9.0.2910.0) X-MimeOLE: Produced By Microsoft MimeOLE V6.00.2900.2670 Importance: Normal Content-Type: text/plain; charset="iso-8859-1" Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit X-Content-Filtered-By: Mailman/MimeDel 2.1.5 Subject: A strategic question X-BeenThere: freebsd-questions@freebsd.org X-Mailman-Version: 2.1.5 Precedence: list Reply-To: jozef.baum@telenet.be List-Id: User questions List-Unsubscribe: , List-Archive: List-Post: List-Help: List-Subscribe: , X-List-Received-Date: Sat, 28 Jan 2006 02:15:58 -0000 This posting doesn't contain a technical question about FreeBSD, rather a strategic one. Some time ago, I wanted to migrate to a Unix environment, because I wanted to have a secure, stable, convenient and efficient environment for developing and running programs, no longer having to buy a new PC with a new OS and applications software every 3 years to support Bill Gates' only goal (becoming and remaining the richest man of the USA). At the end of the 20th century, it took us only a few years to have to upgrade from Win 95 to Win 95SE, to Win 98, to Win 98SE, and to Win ME, only to remain with a poor OS. Now, when reinstalling my version of Windows XP, it takes me more time to download and install the SP2 than to install Windows XP. I wonder how people with a low-bandwidth Internet connection do to download the SP2 for Windows XP. I downloaded Solaris 10 and a lot of documentation about it, then installed Solaris 10. As opposed to Linux and free BSD implementations of UNIX, Solaris looks like a professionally developed operating system. It seems to be1 a very advanced operating system. However, I soon realized that, when one wants a yacht, it is not a good idea to acquire the Queen Mary II, just as it costs too much time to acquire a hotel to have a cup of coffee. Then I downloaded what I thought being one of the best Linux distributions, Suse Linux. I tried to install it, but the system got locked up by something so stupid as my nVidia modem. Together with the heterogeneous quality of Linux components, and not at all liking Linus Torvald's arrogance, I decided to abandon Linux. I came to FreeBSD, with the idea that it had a more homogeneous quality development model, downloaded the FreeBSD 6.0 boot CD and CD 1 and 2, and installed it on my PC, following the handbook. I knew UNIX is a toolkit intended to IT knowledge people, so it will never perform a breakthrough to the average desktop user. But my disappointment with FreeBSD was great. In fact, to install FreeBSD, one needs already a lot of knowledge about the system. To acquire that knowledge, one needs experience on an installed system. But to have an installed system, one needs already a lot of knowledge about the system. That's the problem. The handbook doesn't tell you that, at the "last chance" message, you have to take out the boot CD and to insert CD 1. But if you don't do so, nothing gets installed. I configured a German ISO keyboard, but many keys don't work correctly. One has to look with Google to find additional information about configuring a German keyboard. I have a cable Internet connection and my network card was recognized, but getting an IP-address with the DHCP service of my provider was impossible. Again, I had to look up with Google how to allow the firewall to get an IP-addres with my provider's DHCP. The locate command did not work, as the locate database seemed to be corrupted. I had to figure out how to rebuild this database. The root user had a csh, while ordinary users had a sh shell. I had to figure out how to provide the same shell to the root user and the other users, as all those virtual users are all one and the same person, me. I tried to setup an X Window environment (nVidia Geforce video adapter), but the horizontal and vertical refresh rates of the manufacturer didn't work, I had to experiment to find out the one X likes. Then I could startup X, only to not having configured at all my German keyboard. I tried to install emacs during installation, but it didn't succeed. Returning to the post-installation tasks after having installed the system resulted in a successfull installation of emacs (working only after a system reboot). I could go on for hours with this kind of troubles. But now comes the strategic question. Why is it that FreeBSD people, who seem to be perfectly able to formulate correct algorithms for implementing UNIX concepts, and translating them into code, don't care at all about a novice user, providing him with an installation program that doesn't work as it should, even without a GUI? I know UNIX is all about solving problems, but is it really interesting to make it apparently deliberatly so difficult for a newcomer? Is it really the policy of those guys to make the entry level to UNIX difficult, only to avoid a breakthrough of UNIX (FreeBSD) to the desktop users? I knew the installation, configuration and optimization of a Unix system would take me a lot of time and patience. But after some weeks, the only result, as probably for many others, is an immense frustration. I cannot imagine that people capable of developing such a complex operating system as Unix are unable to offer newcomers a correct and easy install procedure. But probably, that's not their concern. Please, guys, if you want FreeBSD to survive and to become not only a server OS, but also a desktop OS, realize that you are going the wrong way by annoying newcomers with a puzzle. I want to learn Unix, the real Unix. Searching a text file for a string with grep, not launching a tremendous memory hungry application under X Window to do so. I want to learn how to pipe Unix commands to get usefull work done. I want to learn the ed line editor as a starting point for using sed. But please, don't frustrate me from the beginning by making the installation of FreeBSD so difficult. Drop some whistles and bells on which you are working, and encounter the newbie. Many thanks in advance for your comments. A frustrated FreeBSD newbie