Re: Got 4.8-REL installed... Now what?
On Tue, Sep 23, 2003 at 06:13:15PM -0400, Timothy Luoma wrote: I installed 4.8-Release on my machine, and got the dual boot working with WinXP thanks to GAG[1] So now I have this shiny new OS sitting there, and I can login, but I haven't a clue where to begin. I don't know the diff. between KDE and GNOME or how they relate to Blackbox or Afterstep or any of the others window managers. (I do have an X11 config file for my computer[2]). So does how do Average Newbie Desktop User figure out where to go from here? As a desktop user, you will need to install some sort of working environment, plus any specific applications that you need. By working environment I mean essentially an X window manager and any supporting infrastructure that it requires. This can vary from the minimal (fluxbox, fvwm) to the gargantuan (kde, gnome). See http://www.xwinman.org/ for the definitive guide to X window managers. Personally I like WindowMaker, a nice middleweight WM with a very NeXT-like look'n'feel. As for the applications you want to install, that depends on what you're going to be using the system for. There are (better or worse) examples of most sorts of desktop applications available from ports, and with a little know-how it is generally possible to get most Linux applications to run. However, in order to install any of these software packages, the first thing you will need is an understanding of the ports system and an up-to-date ports tree. Read the OnLamp articles by Dru Levign for the former: http://www.onlamp.com/pub/a/bsd/2003/08/07/FreeBSD_Basics.html http://www.onlamp.com/pub/a/bsd/2003/08/28/FreeBSD_Basics.html http://www.onlamp.com/pub/a/bsd/2003/09/18/FreeBSD_Basics.html and for the latter, install a cvsup(1) package from the FreeBSD ftp servers, and use it to update your copies of the system and ports trees. You can probably just run: # pkg_add -r cvsup The appropriate parts of Appendix A of the handbook should tell you pretty much everything you need to know to start using cvsup(1): http://www.freebsd.org/doc/en_US.ISO8859-1/books/handbook/mirrors.html and a quick perusal of the sample supfiles in /usr/share/examples/cvsup will pay dividends. Cheers, Matthew -- Dr Matthew J Seaman MA, D.Phil. 26 The Paddocks Savill Way PGP: http://www.infracaninophile.co.uk/pgpkey Marlow Tel: +44 1628 476614 Bucks., SL7 1TH UK pgp0.pgp Description: PGP signature
Re: Got 4.8-REL installed... Now what?
On Wed, 24 Sep 2003 10:38:29 +0100, Matthew Seaman [EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote: As a desktop user, you will need to install some sort of working environment, plus any specific applications that you need. By working environment I mean essentially an X window manager and any supporting infrastructure that it requires. This can vary from the minimal (fluxbox, fvwm) to the gargantuan (kde, gnome). See http://www.xwinman.org/ for the definitive guide to X window managers. Personally I like WindowMaker, a nice middleweight WM with a very NeXT-like look'n'feel. As a former NeXT'er myself, that will probably be the one I start with. However, in order to install any of these software packages, the first thing you will need is an understanding of the ports system and an up-to-date ports tree. Read the OnLamp articles by Dru Levign for the former: http://www.onlamp.com/pub/a/bsd/2003/08/07/FreeBSD_Basics.html http://www.onlamp.com/pub/a/bsd/2003/08/28/FreeBSD_Basics.html http://www.onlamp.com/pub/a/bsd/2003/09/18/FreeBSD_Basics.html thanks! more bed-time reading. (I brought _The Complete FreeBSD handbook_ with me on vacation several years ago, even without a computer with me. Yeah, my wife thinks I'm strange too.) and a quick perusal of the sample supfiles in /usr/share/examples/cvsup will pay dividends. Many thanks to you the others who replied. TjL -- Running 4.8-RELEASE on a Dell Inspiron 7500 Laptop Dual Boot Windows XP using GAG Now in progress: 30 Days to becoming an Opera7 Lover http://tntluoma.com/opera/lover/7/ ___ [EMAIL PROTECTED] mailing list http://lists.freebsd.org/mailman/listinfo/freebsd-questions To unsubscribe, send any mail to [EMAIL PROTECTED]
Re: Got 4.8-REL installed... Now what?
On Tue, Sep 23, 2003 at 06:13:15PM -0400, Timothy Luoma wrote: I installed 4.8-Release on my machine, and got the dual boot working with WinXP thanks to GAG[1] So now I have this shiny new OS sitting there, and I can login, but I haven't a clue where to begin. I don't know the diff. between KDE and GNOME or how they relate to Blackbox or Afterstep or any of the others window managers. (I do have an X11 config file for my computer[2]). GNOME and KDE are Window Manager that requere a lot of resources compared to window mangers like blackbox, afterstap and xfce. Other then this fact it more or less a matter of tast. Its wat you like best. So does how do Average Newbie Desktop User figure out where to go from here? I feel its best to just try one and switch to another if you don't like it. -- Alex Articles based on solutions that I use: http://www.kruijff.org/alex/index.php?dir=docs/FreeBSD/ ___ [EMAIL PROTECTED] mailing list http://lists.freebsd.org/mailman/listinfo/freebsd-questions To unsubscribe, send any mail to [EMAIL PROTECTED]
Re: Got 4.8-REL installed... Now what?
On Tue, 23 Sep 2003, Timothy Luoma wrote: I installed 4.8-Release on my machine, and got the dual boot working with WinXP thanks to GAG[1] So now I have this shiny new OS sitting there, and I can login, but I haven't a clue where to begin. I don't know the diff. between KDE and GNOME or how they relate to Blackbox or Afterstep or any of the others window managers. (I do have an X11 config file for my computer[2]). So does how do Average Newbie Desktop User figure out where to go from here? Play with it. Do all the things you have always done on your computer. Listen to mp3's. Read your email. Browse webpages. If you don't have what you need to do any of that and aren't sure what program to use it's as easy as: cd /usr/ports make search key=whatever to find out what program will do the job, and: make install clean to add it to the system. It's not terribly important which window manager you use, all any of them do is make X prettier and add more clicky bitz, try each of them to see which you like the best. Cheers, Viktor ___ [EMAIL PROTECTED] mailing list http://lists.freebsd.org/mailman/listinfo/freebsd-questions To unsubscribe, send any mail to [EMAIL PROTECTED]
