Date: Thu, 16 Apr 2026 17:29:53 +0000 From: Lorenzo Salvadore <salvadore@FreeBSD.org> To: doc-committers@FreeBSD.org, dev-commits-doc-all@FreeBSD.org Cc: Alfonso S. Siciliano <asiciliano@FreeBSD.org> Subject: git: 64df2ef8ed - main - Status/2026Q1/desktop-script-bsdinstall.adoc: Add report Message-ID: <69e11c91.34589.51ecad22@gitrepo.freebsd.org>
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The branch main has been updated by salvadore: URL: https://cgit.FreeBSD.org/doc/commit/?id=64df2ef8ed2c351c88c46df4266489a2e3111e0e commit 64df2ef8ed2c351c88c46df4266489a2e3111e0e Author: Alfonso S. Siciliano <asiciliano@FreeBSD.org> AuthorDate: 2026-04-09 00:12:02 +0000 Commit: Lorenzo Salvadore <salvadore@FreeBSD.org> CommitDate: 2026-04-16 17:29:30 +0000 Status/2026Q1/desktop-script-bsdinstall.adoc: Add report Pull Request: https://github.com/freebsd/freebsd-doc/pull/651 --- .../desktop-script-bsdinstall.adoc | 42 ++++++++++++++++++++++ 1 file changed, 42 insertions(+) diff --git a/website/content/en/status/report-2026-01-2026-03/desktop-script-bsdinstall.adoc b/website/content/en/status/report-2026-01-2026-03/desktop-script-bsdinstall.adoc new file mode 100644 index 0000000000..d931b55613 --- /dev/null +++ b/website/content/en/status/report-2026-01-2026-03/desktop-script-bsdinstall.adoc @@ -0,0 +1,42 @@ +=== Desktop Script for BSDInstall + +Links: + +link:https://github.com/FreeBSDFoundation/proj-laptop/issues/25[Laptop Support and Usability Project Task] URL: link:https://github.com/FreeBSDFoundation/proj-laptop/issues/25[] + +link:https://gitlab.com/alfix/kde-installer-dialogs[Project repository] URL: link:https://gitlab.com/alfix/kde-installer-dialogs[] + +Contact: Alfonso Sabato Siciliano <asiciliano@FreeBSD.org> + +In the past, I developed several shell scripts with graphical interfaces to install and configure a complete desktop environment on my laptop. +These interfaces allowed users to select their preferred options. +One script in particular included GPU drivers, desktop environments, and tools for both laptops and desktop systems. +These projects are still available in public online repositories, but they are now likely obsolete, as they have not been used or maintained for several years. + +Recently, the FreeBSD Foundation launched the Laptop Support and Usability Project. +One of the short-term goals of this project is to provide a simple feature in man:bsdinstall[8], the FreeBSD system installer, to install and configure a graphical environment. +The installer should ask users whether they want to install a desktop environment and, if so, automatically install and configure everything needed with minimal or no user intervention. +After reboot, users should be presented with a KDE Plasma graphical login screen. + +To implement this feature, I reused one of my previous scripts as a proof of concept. +It has been updated, simplified, and renamed to _desktop_. +The script installs and configures GPU drivers, Xorg, KDE Plasma, and SDDM. +Based on the feedback received, I introduced several improvements over the original version: + +* Automatic GPU detection with a suggested video driver, since some users selected the wrong GPU during testing. + This is particularly important as the script targets less experienced users. +* Addition of dialog-based messages to provide information, documentation, and error reporting. +* Extra features and menus to allow users to choose certain configurations. + +In the future, depending on user interest and feedback, support can be extended to additional desktop environments and tools. + +One of the main challenges was the wide variety of supported GPUs. +For this reason, I launched a call for testing, involving the community through a script to be executed on an already installed system. +The feedback and suggestions received were very positive and valuable. +Contributions are still welcome, especially for: + +* NVIDIA Optimus with recent GPUs. +* Systems with non-amd64 architectures. + +A version of the script was later adapted for integration into bsdinstall and into an installation ISO. +After successful testing on both CURRENT and STABLE, a review has been submitted to add the _desktop_ script to bsdinstall: link:https://reviews.freebsd.org/D56167[D56167]. + +Sponsor: The FreeBSD Foundationhome | help
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