FreeBSD 4.6-RELEASE

[alpha]

Incase anyone missed this release (as I did), its out :)

http://www.freebsd.org/releases/4.6R/relnotes-i386.html

[Chinasaur]

I'm not the dullest pencil in the box but I give anyone a :notworthy for getting through an install of FreeBSD because I never have. I always get hung up on the installer and how it never gives (or didn't) an option to install everything..or by major package group. It always seemed to want to make me decide package by package.

And even when I got FreeBSD running, X would never want to start due to the old XFConfig proggie. Same with Net and Open..I've had them installed in command line..but never got X running.

So how do you like BSD Alpha?

[alpha]

Firstly, I've only been using FreeBSD since 4.1.1(?), so I'm not oldskool, but I'm not a newbie either.

The first time I installed FreeBSD I found the procedure fairly pain-free and everything went smoothly. As far as I know, there are, and in my experience always have been, groups of packages that can be installed. These are called "distribution sets" for some reason. I haven't installed FreeBSD for a very long time because all the boxes that I have running it are more than happy, but I seem to remember being asked if I wanted to install individual packages by hand, OR choose from these distribution sets. Either way, after you have a bootable system, you can install individual packages or distribution sets using /stand/sysinstall.

The process of configuring X is fairly simple, but actually getting it working with your hardware is another thing. I don't know what to say really, but once you get it working, backup your XF86Config :) I've always used the 'xf86config' app for configuring X because it is simple and it works for me. It has a command-line interface, unlike XF86Setup (does it still exist?!) with it's hideous GUI.

The ports collection is nice, I like being able to install remote binary packages with pkg_add -r, I *LOVE* the method of kernel configuration, it's so damn quick and easy, upgrading to a new release is as simple as a cvsup and a couple of make's. I would never go back to linux now. Hell no. :)