Date: Mon, 07 Dec 1998 21:06:49 -0800 From: Ludwig Pummer <ludwigp@bigfoot.com> To: Arashi <smohr1@maine.rr.com>, freebsd-newbies@FreeBSD.ORG Subject: Re: Questions: FreeBSD Message-ID: <4.1.19981207204859.00aee890@mail-r> In-Reply-To: <366B3CEE.BCB85D65@maine.rr.com>
next in thread | previous in thread | raw e-mail | index | archive | help
At 06:26 PM 12/6/98 , Arashi wrote: >Recently, I heard of this OS from a friend. He raved about it. I >decided to give it a try. Unfortunately, I know close to zero about >UNIX (the basic commands, how it works, etc - I know none of this!). >However, I am trying to learn. That's what this mailing list is for! I've forwarded to you the Newbies First Aid Kit, which is posted to this list every few weeks. >So my question is this: which UNIX is >FreeBSD compatible with? FreeBSD is gaining enough popularity that there are versions specifically for it. If there's no FreeBSD-native version, you can try Linux or BSDI versions. I've never tried to run any BSDI versions, but (for example) the Linux version of RealPlayer, quake2, and quake work under FreeBSD's Linux emulator. >I am trying to download Netscape for UNIX and >have no idea which version to download. If you search around in ftp.netscape.com, you can find a FreeBSD-specific version. It may still be in the development subdirectory (as opposed to the shipping subdirectory), but it's fully functional. >And another problem is getting >my cable modem working......... I subscribe to a cable Internet service >from Time Warner Cable of Maine. I have called them up and they said >that they ight be able to dig up a UNIX client for me, but is this all I >need? Can I just run the script or binary executable or do I need to >configure anything else? I assume from the 'rr.com' that it's the RoadRunner cable modem service. For help with RoadRunner cable modem setup, search the mailing list archive (the link is given in the Newbies FAK). >Keep in mind, I a a DOS/Win95 person so I may >use terminology that is exclusive to DOS-based systems, so forgive me if >I a not using the correct terms. I also understand that UNIX is not for >those without motivation to learn a new operating system. Believe me, >after the horrors of Win95, I am able and willing......... There are a lot of newbies moving over from other GUIs... I myself am/was a DOS/Windows user. I've found my DOS knowledge to be quite useful (and a hindrance...I have an alias for dir set up because I'm so used to typing it). >BTW, as a closing note, is it possible to use my HP CD-writer Plus 8100i >under BSD to burn CDs? I would like to learn how to do this...... Again, check the mailing list archives and resource listed in the FAK. >And >to ask a real question of the stereotypical newbie: what is the command >to change drives? Unix file systems don't have drive letters. There is a single root directory, /, and all other physical drives and filesystems are "mounted" to it, so they appear as subdirectories. Again, check the FAQ and the www.freebsd.org's new user tutorial. >and how do I get the OS to display the path before >the command prompt? That's shell-specific. One similarity between DOS and Unix is the separation of the command interpreter (the shell) from the Kernel. For example, in DOS there is COMMAND.COM, but you can use other command interpreters like 4DOS. In Unix there are many different shells. Each shell can have its own system for setting the prompt. If you want to get the current directory, 'pwd' will tell you. I know this has been asked a few times in the -questions mailing list. >Can I read >DOS-formatted media easily with the above command? To get DOS-formatted media, working, you need to use the mount command. Check www.freebsd.org's tutorials. Also, www.daemonnews.org has a newbies section in every issue, and at least one issue's section dealt with working with floppy disks (including dos-formatted ones) >Thank you for your time. For now, I will live with the atrocities of >Windows 95 (or until I can get FreeBSD installed with ALL ports and you probably don't want to install ALL of the ports...just a few, as you need them. >XWindows, man pages, etc. As of now, I just have the OS binaries. No >XWindows, no nothing except the CLI. I first used FreeBSD without XWindows (the computer only had a VGA card). It wasn't until I installed FreeBSD on my second computer that I even got into X. >And keep in mind that I know an >extremely minimal amount about UNIX so it is fairly hard for me to >learn. However, I have a book which seems promising and maybe by the >middle of next year I may have half the commands down :-). I'm afraid I would have to disagree that it's hard to learn _because_ you're a newbie. Being a newbie just means you have a lot to learn. And I'm afraid to say, you probably won't learn half of the commands by the middle of next year (nor will you need to). As I've mentioned, check the Newbies First Aid Kit, the www.freebsd.org tutorials, the FAQ, the Handbook, and www.daemonnews.org. I also recommend subscribing to the -questions and -newbies mailing list. You may not understand what's being said on the -questions list, but just reading the messages gives you an idea what's going on. After a while things start falling in place. Sometime in the future, you will have a question on how to do something and remember seeing it in -questions a long time ago. So you search the archives... Good Luck! I've been using FreeBSD for nearly two years and I still sometimes feel like a newbie (at certain things). --Ludwig Pummer ( ludwigp@bigfoot.com ) ICQ UIN: 692441 ( ludwigp@email.com ) To Unsubscribe: send mail to majordomo@FreeBSD.org with "unsubscribe freebsd-newbies" in the body of the message
Want to link to this message? Use this URL: <https://mail-archive.FreeBSD.org/cgi/mid.cgi?4.1.19981207204859.00aee890>