From owner-freebsd-questions Tue Sep 29 01:33:53 1998 Return-Path: Received: (from majordom@localhost) by hub.freebsd.org (8.8.8/8.8.8) id BAA10246 for freebsd-questions-outgoing; Tue, 29 Sep 1998 01:33:53 -0700 (PDT) (envelope-from owner-freebsd-questions@FreeBSD.ORG) Received: from allegro.lemis.com (allegro.lemis.com [192.109.197.134]) by hub.freebsd.org (8.8.8/8.8.8) with ESMTP id BAA10238 for ; Tue, 29 Sep 1998 01:33:49 -0700 (PDT) (envelope-from grog@freebie.lemis.com) Received: from freebie.lemis.com (freebie.lemis.com [192.109.197.137]) by allegro.lemis.com (8.9.1/8.9.0) with ESMTP id SAA11903; Tue, 29 Sep 1998 18:03:28 +0930 (CST) Received: (from grog@localhost) by freebie.lemis.com (8.9.1/8.9.0) id SAA10043; Tue, 29 Sep 1998 18:03:25 +0930 (CST) Message-ID: <19980929180324.Q15172@freebie.lemis.com> Date: Tue, 29 Sep 1998 18:03:24 +0930 From: Greg Lehey To: Steve Friedrich , "freebsd-questions@FreeBSD.ORG" , Joe Raine Subject: Re: Firewall? References: <199809290540.BAA03477@laker.net> Mime-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset=us-ascii X-Mailer: Mutt 0.91.1i In-Reply-To: <199809290540.BAA03477@laker.net>; from Steve Friedrich on Tue, Sep 29, 1998 at 01:40:27AM -0400 WWW-Home-Page: http://www.lemis.com/~grog Organization: LEMIS, PO Box 460, Echunga SA 5153, Australia Phone: +61-8-8388-8286 Fax: +61-8-8388-8725 Mobile: +61-41-739-7062 Sender: owner-freebsd-questions@FreeBSD.ORG Precedence: bulk X-Loop: FreeBSD.ORG On Tuesday, 29 September 1998 at 1:40:27 -0400, Steve Friedrich wrote: > On Tue, 29 Sep 1998 14:13:22 +1000, Joe Raine wrote: >> 1. Is the learning curve horrendous for someone who is only versed in DOS >> and Windows? > > The short answer is YES. But you don't have to learn everything to get > started. And the payoff is well worth the effort. The basic problem, > and I'm really not trying to insult you, is that you haven't learned > anything about real computer operating systems yet. DOS and Winblows > are just barely better than CPM. They are attempting to grow up to be > real operating systems, but they'll never make it. After writing what I did about this question ("it depends"), it occurred to me that I should have elaborated. I find configuring Microsoft systems complicated because you only see a little bit at a time; it's like standing outside the place where things are happening and looking in through a window. You can often configure UNIX systems this way too, but the real way is to get inside and look around. Instead of playing with pieces of a jigsaw puzzle, you have a list of things to do. The best example is the main configuration file for FreeBSD systems, /etc/rc.conf, which contains a list of parameters to set for system startup. Want to check your system config? That's the place to go. Did you forget something? Then it'll be in /etc/rc.conf, but wrong. By contrast, the visual approach requires you to have some written documentation (a book, for example) to tell you all the places you need to check. So I suppose the real question is: can you read, can you handle a checklist? Then you'll find UNIX easier than Microsoft, *once* you've got used to the change. > The Complete Freebsd > Greg Lehey > Our Price: $69.95 > Paperback Book and 4 CD Roms edition (May 1998) Walnut Creek; ISBN: > 1571762272 This is no cheaper than from Walnut Creek CDROM, who use the proceeds of the sale in part to fund FreeBSD development. If you're not going to have any disadvantage from buying direct from Walnut Creek, please do so. In Joe's case, of course, there are two significant disadvantages: first, shipping is surface mail (3 months), and secondly it costs anyway. But the same would apply to Amazon or any other US-based bookshop. Greg -- See complete headers for address, home page and phone numbers finger grog@lemis.com for PGP public key To Unsubscribe: send mail to majordomo@FreeBSD.org with "unsubscribe freebsd-questions" in the body of the message