From owner-freebsd-questions@FreeBSD.ORG Wed Aug 19 14:38:26 2009 Return-Path: Delivered-To: freebsd-questions@freebsd.org Received: from mx1.freebsd.org (mx1.freebsd.org [IPv6:2001:4f8:fff6::34]) by hub.freebsd.org (Postfix) with ESMTP id 89DD1106568D for ; Wed, 19 Aug 2009 14:38:26 +0000 (UTC) (envelope-from m.seaman@infracaninophile.co.uk) Received: from smtp.infracaninophile.co.uk (gate6.infracaninophile.co.uk [IPv6:2001:8b0:151:1::1]) by mx1.freebsd.org (Postfix) with ESMTP id 0ED508FC65 for ; Wed, 19 Aug 2009 14:38:25 +0000 (UTC) Received: from significant-gravitas-shortfall.thebunker.net (gateway.ash.thebunker.net [213.129.64.4]) (authenticated bits=0) by smtp.infracaninophile.co.uk (8.14.3/8.14.3) with ESMTP id n7JEcI50009261 (version=TLSv1/SSLv3 cipher=DHE-RSA-AES256-SHA bits=256 verify=NO); Wed, 19 Aug 2009 15:38:19 +0100 (BST) (envelope-from m.seaman@infracaninophile.co.uk) X-DKIM: Sendmail DKIM Filter v2.8.3 smtp.infracaninophile.co.uk n7JEcI50009261 DKIM-Signature: v=1; a=rsa-sha256; c=simple/simple; d=infracaninophile.co.uk; s=200708; t=1250692699; bh=2y6AbJz5U11PEb6W1q7fWCq8BBoqzWHoeZ5SVuvsWaA=; h=Message-ID:Date:From:MIME-Version:To:CC:Subject:References: In-Reply-To:Content-Type:Cc:Content-Type:Date:From:In-Reply-To: Message-ID:Mime-Version:References:To; z=Message-ID:=20<4A8C0E54.3080607@infracaninophile.co.uk>|Date:=20W ed,=2019=20Aug=202009=2015:38:12=20+0100|From:=20Matthew=20Seaman= 20|Organization:=20Infracaninophi le|User-Agent:=20Thunderbird=202.0.0.22=20(X11/20090817)|MIME-Vers ion:=201.0|To:=20Andrew=20Gould=20|CC:= 20Sabeeh=20Baig=20,=20freebsd-questions@freebsd.or g|Subject:=20Re:=20Desktop=20Install=20Option|References:=20=20|In-Reply-To: =20|X -Enigmail-Version:=200.95.7|OpenPGP:=20id=3D60AE908C|Content-Type: =20multipart/signed=3B=20micalg=3Dpgp-sha1=3B=0D=0A=20protocol=3D" application/pgp-signature"=3B=0D=0A=20boundary=3D"------------enig BA0F048D287FE0534C7709BC"; b=tHDCTUMDsRax8PG9SLhLY4DgyrodAeFSpD0egH70l9odswxfFN7hh65OfAKOlai0o L0T6C1uE74e0/mQoB7aOnzE7NOMU/uVPyB2egMcATIjJL9kOhIDp9UeqUrsQV/ywq0 ae3vNpqB/vbzKuI8d27hvcu/YW8ZSAP4zzDUQqYY= X-Authentication-Warning: happy-idiot-talk.infracaninophile.co.uk: Host gateway.ash.thebunker.net [213.129.64.4] claimed to be significant-gravitas-shortfall.thebunker.net Message-ID: <4A8C0E54.3080607@infracaninophile.co.uk> Date: Wed, 19 Aug 2009 15:38:12 +0100 From: Matthew Seaman Organization: Infracaninophile User-Agent: Thunderbird 2.0.0.22 (X11/20090817) MIME-Version: 1.0 To: Andrew Gould References: In-Reply-To: X-Enigmail-Version: 0.95.7 OpenPGP: id=60AE908C Content-Type: multipart/signed; micalg=pgp-sha1; protocol="application/pgp-signature"; boundary="------------enigBA0F048D287FE0534C7709BC" X-Virus-Scanned: clamav-milter 0.95.2 at happy-idiot-talk.infracaninophile.co.uk X-Virus-Status: Clean X-Spam-Status: No, score=-2.5 required=5.0 tests=AWL,BAYES_00,DKIM_SIGNED, DKIM_VERIFIED,SPF_FAIL autolearn=no version=3.2.5 X-Spam-Checker-Version: SpamAssassin 3.2.5 (2008-06-10) on happy-idiot-talk.infracaninophile.co.uk Cc: Sabeeh Baig , freebsd-questions@freebsd.org Subject: Re: Desktop Install Option X-BeenThere: freebsd-questions@freebsd.org X-Mailman-Version: 2.1.5 Precedence: list List-Id: User questions List-Unsubscribe: , List-Archive: List-Post: List-Help: List-Subscribe: , X-List-Received-Date: Wed, 19 Aug 2009 14:38:26 -0000 This is an OpenPGP/MIME signed message (RFC 2440 and 3156) --------------enigBA0F048D287FE0534C7709BC Content-Type: text/plain; charset=ISO-8859-1 Content-Transfer-Encoding: quoted-printable Andrew Gould wrote: > On Wed, Aug 19, 2009 at 12:54 AM, Sabeeh Baig wrote: >> So, I've been wondering about something. FreeBSD is a general purpose= >> operating system, even though it has historically only heavily been us= ed on >> servers. Why is it that FreeBSD doesn't provide a desktop installatio= n, >> something similar to say Debian's option of "Standard Desktop"? For t= hose >> who need it, it'd be great. >> >> -- >> >> Sabeeh Ahmed Baig >=20 > I am of the opinion that specializing in everything is the same thing > as specializing in nothing. (Said another way: If everything is a > priority, nothing is.) Every operating system has its strengths and > weaknesses. The more an operating system becomes > all-things-to-all-users, the more it tends to lose its comparative > edge in any one area. >=20 > All of that being said, PC-BSD is a desktop solution on FreeBSD. You > can download it for free or purchase it with support: > http://www.pcbsd.org/ That's true, but the FreeBSD "thing" is performance[*] which, curiously e= nough is at the core of a good desktop system as well as the core of a good ser= ver system. In fact, the missing parts required to make a good desktop out o= f FreeBSD are more to do with graphics hardware support -- much of which co= mes out of the Xorg project now -- and support for various proprietary data f= ormats and software packages like flash, and, of course, a really well wr= itten user interface. Or to put it another way, you can build a good desktop system based on a = good server OS, but it's pretty hard to build a good desktop system based on a= bad server OS. Cheers, Matthew [*] and for completeness, the NetBSD "thing" is portability, and the Open= BSD "thing" is security. Not that the big three *BSDs are entirely lacki= ng in any of those departments. --=20 Dr Matthew J Seaman MA, D.Phil. Flat 3 7 Priory Courtyard PGP: http://www.infracaninophile.co.uk/pgpkey Ramsgate Kent, CT11 9PW, UK --------------enigBA0F048D287FE0534C7709BC Content-Type: application/pgp-signature; name="signature.asc" Content-Description: OpenPGP digital signature Content-Disposition: attachment; filename="signature.asc" -----BEGIN PGP SIGNATURE----- Version: GnuPG v2.0.12 (FreeBSD) Comment: Using GnuPG with Mozilla - http://enigmail.mozdev.org iEYEARECAAYFAkqMDloACgkQ3jDkPpsZ+VZbvACgwyHE27gL7sc32LESIjiaI4cs WGoAoInU9XdJ6I6exFTP27eW3RtK0CSb =fP41 -----END PGP SIGNATURE----- --------------enigBA0F048D287FE0534C7709BC--