Date: Tue, 25 Jul 2006 15:22:19 -0500 From: Greg Barniskis <nalists@scls.lib.wi.us> To: freebsd-questions@freebsd.org Subject: Re: What FreeBSD users really want Message-ID: <44C67D7B.40800@scls.lib.wi.us> In-Reply-To: <80f4f2b20607220713g3f25586br1ec34d61ea7a1593@mail.gmail.com> References: <8f0d62060607220403j599c1131xfcfb38e6b18c7c6c@mail.gmail.com> <80f4f2b20607220713g3f25586br1ec34d61ea7a1593@mail.gmail.com>
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Jim Stapleton wrote: > No offense, but, it doesn't even integrate BASH. I had to install the > bash package so I wasn't stuck to CSH, and BASH is much more popular > than any PHP shell. (Wait, is there a PHP shell? I know there is a CLI > interpereter, but that's different). Regardless, if it's in ports > (which it probably is if there is such a thing), then just install it, > not very difficult at all. Indeed. Very easy. To me, the bare-bones-ness of FreeBSD is one if its strongest points. I happened to read this thread after an employee birthday party, so please excuse the poor analogy to follow... Linux distros are like cakes that arrive fully baked, frosted and decorated. Don't like that flavor? Wrong number of candles? Too bad, use a different distro, or fight the installer to stop it from doing things you don't want it to do. Very, um, Microsoft. FreeBSD is like a build-your-own-cake kit. It arrives as a nearly flavorless slab of yellow cake. Then you decide if it should be double chocolate or lemon or [choose from 20,000 options here]... All you have to do is tell it in your kernel config: options batter angelfood and then cd /usr/src make WITH_FROSTING="orange" cd /usr/ports/deco/candles make KIND=birthday COUNT=40 make light make sing In my opinion, FreeBSD should never change its model to arriving as a fully completed cake. The ability to choose (including the choice of "plain old cake, no frosting, no decoration") is just priceless. At most, the installer might be improved to make it easier to make good choices. It most definitely should not start choosing for me, at least not beyond the minimal "components required for a plain cake" level. -- Greg Barniskis, Computer Systems Integrator South Central Library System (SCLS) Library Interchange Network (LINK) <gregb at scls.lib.wi.us>, (608) 266-6348
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