Date: Sat, 11 Apr 2020 13:03:02 +0200 From: Polytropon <freebsd@edvax.de> To: Nikita Stepanov <nikitastepanov113@yandex.kz> Cc: freebsd-questions@freebsd.org Subject: Re: Why is freebsd unlike openbsd and netbsd not supplied with the x window system? Message-ID: <20200411130302.3d4b50f2.freebsd@edvax.de> In-Reply-To: <1246771586602212@myt3-cba274279eae.qloud-c.yandex.net> References: <1246771586602212@myt3-cba274279eae.qloud-c.yandex.net>
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On Sat, 11 Apr 2020 16:50:12 +0600, Nikita Stepanov wrote: > [nothing] FreeBSD is a multi-purpose operating system. It can be used for servers, for desktops, for laptops, for appliances, and for "mixed forms". That's why X is not part of the OS. On FreeBSD, only the kernel and the userland - the parts comprising the operating system - are delivered as a unit. Nothing else is needed to boot a fully operational system. Everything else, like X (which is optional) can be installed via pkg in binary form, or built from source using the ports collection Using this approach, FreeBSD keeps the "installation footprint" low, while _not_ stopping any specific kind of use. You want a server? Install what you wish to run, omit X. You want a gaming system? Install X, probably wine or winex, and your games. Want to run servers on your laptop? No problem, absolutely possible. And all those things are possible with one and the same (!) OS distribution. Ths OS can be installed for many different platforms. All of them are derived from the same set of sources. THis applies even to platforms that probably cannot even run X. This philosophy makes FreeBSD superior compared to other systems where you need one distribution for a server, another one for a desktop, and a third one for an embedded system. Sometimes distributions for something that is neither server nor desktop doesn't even exist. If you use FreeBSD's default installation media (usually the memstick image or the DVD image), you'll find X as a package that you can install. Using FreeBSD's media offline is possible - you don't need an Internet connection to obtain X. Furthermore, X is developed by the port maintainer, not by the folks maintaining the operating system. FreeBSD draws a nice line between "the operating system" and "third party software" (i. e., stuff from the ports collection). The OS can be installed and booted without anything else. _You_ decide what else you wish to install. So the consensus is: X is not part of the operating system, that's why it is not installed by default. If you want FreeBSD with X, try TrueOS (ex PC-BSD). PS. For reference purposes of the list, please state your question in the message body, and use the subject for a summary of the topic you wish to discuss. Thanks! :-) -- Polytropon Magdeburg, Germany Happy FreeBSD user since 4.0 Andra moi ennepe, Mousa, ...
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