Date: Tue, 30 Jul 2002 11:07:18 -0400 (EDT) From: John Bleichert <syborg@stny.rr.com> To: FreeBSD-Questions@FreeBSD.ORG Subject: Re: What do we need in a FreeBSD desktop? (was: Peter heads back to M$FT WinBloze [support groups]) Message-ID: <Pine.LNX.4.44.0207301105180.3384-100000@janeway.vonbek.dhs.org> In-Reply-To: <20020730023631.GI27401@wantadilla.lemis.com>
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My Mom runs RedHat at home and uses Mozilla for her web broswing and email. It couldn't be any easier. Same for FreeBSD. When I upgrade her PC this year I may make it a FreeBSD box. For an entry level user who only requires basic web/email access, either Mozilla or the stock KDE apps are fine. I'm not bashing GNOME or Evolution, but for standard low-tech email using Evolution is like using a dumptruck to go grocery shopping ... On Tue, 30 Jul 2002, Greg 'groggy' Lehey wrote: > Date: Tue, 30 Jul 2002 12:06:31 +0930 > From: Greg 'groggy' Lehey <grog@lemis.com> > To: Ed Yu <edlyu@yahoo.com> > Cc: Jud <jud@myrealbox.com>, Hostmaster@Video2Video.Com, mwvw@adelphia.net, > FreeBSD-Questions@FreeBSD.ORG > Subject: Re: What do we need in a FreeBSD desktop? (was: Peter heads back > to M$FT WinBloze [support groups]) > > [Format recovered--see http://www.lemis.com/email/email-format.html] > > On Monday, 29 July 2002 at 19:16:10 -0700, Ed Yu wrote: > > I have used mutt and I liked it but I think for > > instant-workstation, evolution would be more > > appropriate. > > Is that what you're using? The text you send is badly broken. I > wouldn't want to recommend that to anybody. > > > I have noticed also that new users seems to prefer galeon a lot as > > well. > > That's a web browser. > > Greg > > > --- Jud <jud@myrealbox.com> wrote: > >> On Sun, 28 Jul 2002 12:00:16 +0930 > >> Greg 'groggy' Lehey <grog@lemis.com> wrote: > >> > >> [snip] > >>> The real > >>> problem I have is knowing which of the over 7,000 > >> ports you want > >>> to install to get "basic" desktop functionality. > >> Some time ago > >>> I created the "instant-workstation" port, but > >> didn't make much > >>> noise about it. instant-workstation basically > >> installs a number > >>> of dependent ports (see below for a list) and then > >> does some > >>> minor configuration. Over the past couple of days > >> I've been > >>> installing a brand new machine (laptop) for a > >> friend, and I've > >>> been looking at the rough edges. Here's what I've > >> found: > >>> > >>> 1. Some of the dependent ports don't build > >> cleanly. This > >>> obviously > >>> requires some attention. > >>> 2. "instant" is a misnomer, at least if you build > >> from source. > >>> I'm > >>> building on a Dell Inspiron 7500 with a 600 > >> MHz processor, > >>> and it takes over 12 hours. > >>> 3. Once it's built, it works "out of the box". > >> I've installed > >>> the > >>> XFree86 4 port, and installation is really > >> nothing more than > >>> this: > >>> > >>> # X -configure > >>> # mv /root/XF86Config.new /etc > >>> # echo exec kdestart > ~me/.xinitrc > >>> > >>> You can then run startx or xdm and end up in a > >> relatively > >>> complete kde environment. > >>> > >>> So what's in instant-workstation? Currently I > >> have: > >>> > >>> acroread > >>> bash > >>> cdrecord > >>> dos2unix > >>> emacs > >>> fetchmail > >>> gs > >>> grip > >>> gimp > >>> gv > >>> gpg > >>> ispell > >>> startkde > >>> mkisofs > >>> mount_smbfs > >>> mutt > >>> netscape > >>> xtset > >>> xmms > >>> xv > >>> > >>> My questions to you: is there anything missing? > >> Has anybody > >>> tried instant-workstation? I'd be interested in > >> suggestions > >>> about how to improve it. > >>> > >>> Greg > >> > >> I haven't tried instant-workstation, so of course > >> I'll rush in > >> where angels fear to tread. > >> > >> One of the instant-workstation ports I have not > >> tried is mutt, > >> though I've read much praise for it and no negatives > >> that I can > >> recall. I wonder, though, whether a gui mail > >> application might be > >> a good choice for this "target market," in addition > >> to, instead > >> of, or as another choice besides mutt. Sylpheed > >> happens to be > >> the one I prefer, and it seems to be well liked by > >> many other > >> users. Speaking as someone who didn't know a thing > >> about Unix a > >> couple of years ago (and hasn't improved on the > >> situation all that > >> much since:), it was very easy to learn. > >> > >> Another place where options might be appreciated is > >> browsers - > >> perhaps Galeon, Opera, Mozilla? And Lynx I think is > >> excellent for > >> getting around on the Net at times when one doesn't > >> want to or > >> can't be in X. > >> > >> Perhaps that's taken care of by w3m (I don't > >> remember ATM whether > >> that's part of the default emacs install)? That > >> brings me to my > >> last and likely most controversial thought. Emacs > >> does everything > >> but bake blueberry muffins, but it might be more > >> intimidating (or > >> puzzling - took me awhile just to understand what > >> "M-x" > >> meant) than useful to someone fairly new to Unix. > >> It does take a > >> while to build and install (and download, for those > >> of us on > >> dial-ups). And the configuration options! - not > >> exactly > >> 'instant.' If it's part of the install, it seems to > >> me users will > >> try it, and may wind up thinking "Jeez, this stuff > >> is hard" as a > >> first impression of FreeBSD. > >> > >> HTH, > >> > >> Jud > >> > >> To Unsubscribe: send mail to majordomo@FreeBSD.org > >> with "unsubscribe freebsd-questions" in the body of > >> the message > > > > > > __________________________________________________ > > Do You Yahoo!? > > Yahoo! Health - Feel better, live better > > http://health.yahoo.com > > > > To Unsubscribe: send mail to majordomo@FreeBSD.org > > with "unsubscribe freebsd-questions" in the body of the message > > -- > When replying to this message, please take care not to mutilate the > original text. > For more information, see http://www.lemis.com/email.html > Finger grog@lemis.com for PGP public key > See complete headers for address and phone numbers > > To Unsubscribe: send mail to majordomo@FreeBSD.org > with "unsubscribe freebsd-questions" in the body of the message > /* * John Bleichert * syborg@stny.rr.com * http://vonbek.dhs.org/latest.jpg */ To Unsubscribe: send mail to majordomo@FreeBSD.org with "unsubscribe freebsd-questions" in the body of the message
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