Date: Sat, 3 Aug 2002 01:45:58 -0700 From: Benjamin Krueger <benjamin@seattleFenix.net> To: Peter Leftwich <Hostmaster@Video2Video.Com>, freebsd-questions@freebsd.org Subject: Re: Oh man I'm going to get flamed Message-ID: <20020803014558.F19478@mail.seattleFenix.net> In-Reply-To: <20020802185133.X93594-100000@earl-grey.cloud9.net>; from Hostmaster@Video2Video.Com on Fri, Aug 02, 2002 at 07:01:50PM -0400 References: <20020802185133.X93594-100000@earl-grey.cloud9.net>
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* Peter Leftwich (Hostmaster@Video2Video.Com) [020802 16:03]: > I've been thinking a lot about an offshoot version of FreeBSD that newbian > users could get from the kern.flp / mfsroot.flp process and its sysinstall... > > There would be a checkbox for [ ]HomeFreeBSD or [ ]HomeBSD or the like > (users could pay $19.95 for a CDROM and seven days of e-mail support, too). > > Just hear me out *grin* > > It would include the latest XFree86, KDE (or whatever most resembles the > familiar StartButton), and OpenOffice. Out of the box. It would include > viewers and players for common media -- practically built-in to KDE and its > menus -- for files of type *.pdf, *.ra, *.asx, *.swf, *.doc, *.mov, *.qt, > *.mpeg, *.mpg, *.mp3 and many other popular file types. > > I think that would be nice. > > HomeBSD might even include a tiny, simple binary that logs into a site at > something like www.homebsd.org/cvsup/compare.cgi to make upgrades easier... > or uses cvsup's port and protocol to accomplish this. :) > > A fairy ghost would fly of your diskette drive and install everything for you too. > > Not. > > -- > Peter Leftwich > President & Founder > Video2Video Services > Box 13692, La Jolla, CA, 92039 USA > +1-413-403-9555 It isn't a terribly bad idea, however I assume the real problem is finding resources. That includes coming up with methods to build this home version from the current CVS tree, or keeping an entire new tree and release folks to maintain it. Since this is a home version, you also need QA, a binary upgrade system suitable for end users covering both individual apps and the system as a whole. Ports is another sticky mess. Will Home users really wait an hour while evolution compiles and installs, bringing all of its gnome buddies with it? When you're talking home edition software, you're also talking about integration of everything. XP has it. OS X has it. Some linux distributions make attempts at it. Users expect it. I'm sure there are a hundred different things I'm not even thinking of that would need consideration. Don't consider this a put off, I think it would be a nifty product, however there are a lot of hurdles in the way and personally, I've other projects in the wings. =) Maybe a movement will spring up though, who knows. Regards, -- Benjamin Krueger "Life is far too important a thing ever to talk seriously about." - Oscar Wilde (1854 - 1900) ---------------------------------------------------------------- Send mail w/ subject 'send public key' or query for (0x251A4B18) Fingerprint = A642 F299 C1C1 C828 F186 A851 CFF0 7711 251A 4B18 To Unsubscribe: send mail to majordomo@FreeBSD.org with "unsubscribe freebsd-questions" in the body of the message
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