Submitted by For those who want an easy-to-configure and easy-to-install FreeBSD desktop system, Dru Lavigne demonstrates the features of PC-BSD and DesktopBSD. This first article is about PC-BSD. “If you haven’t had a chance to try out PC-BSD, take some time to install and poke about this user-friendly operating system. If you’re looking for a free and stable operating system for friends or family, burn them an ISO and have them give it a test drive.”
I tried installing PC-BSD on my K62-450 box. It complained that my CPU was not supported (even though FreeBSD 6 supports it). I went to the forums and tried to sign up, but the confirmation email never makes it. Nevertheless, earlier releases did greatly impress me, and I think this is a VERY interesting desktop product. Installing OpenOffice, Firefox, Java, etc is very easy.
I used PC-BSD for several months straight and very much enjoyed it. I would use it again (but right now I have no extra PC’s to run it on, sold it to an acquaintance whose computer died).
Not to smudge up this thread or anything, but I also tried and enjoyed NetBSD very much. I would actually love to see a PC-BSD-like project based on NetBSD (would instantly make it more portable) since NetBSD has become a fine, responsive and fairly up-to-date (app-wise) distribution of the BSDs. The only problem I had with it was getting tunneling to work properly (for my specific case).
Both PCBSD and DesktopBSD are very nice,though i prefer to run the real deal FreeBSD6.1 together with gentoo linux.Once spoiled with “emerge” and “portupgrade” anything else makes me feel naked 🙂
reading your comment reminded me i had to try out gentoo.
i have tried both pcbsd and desktopbsd i like them both more then linux that’s why i will try out gentoo i might like it and finally settle on a linux distro alone with the bsds os
i’m running. well, back to the topic, like i was saying i tried both and i like them. i would like to see/read business depolying freebsd onto their servers and pcbsd and desktopbsd onto their clients something like that.
1. I want to upgrade my PC-BSD from beta to version 1.0 but in India we do not have so much bandwidth that I can download a 600+ MB, I completly have to rely on computer magazines to distrubute the PC-BSD CD.
2. I use reliance wirless connection which connects to serial port. The packages is running extreamly well on Linux but I dont know where to find help so that I can configure the same package on PC-BSD
3. I have started a PC-BSD group on orkut.
4. To help people install 3 OS on PC [ Windows , Linux, PC-BSD ] I have created step by step documentation and everyone is welcome to use it.
http://gr8tushar.tripod.com/Linux_bsd_windows.html
5. I’ll be glad to slowly shift to PC-BSD provided I get update of PC-BSD and net access.
Installed without too much hitch but didnt recognize my nvidia network card and the FAQ said to “/stand/sysinstall” to configure. Terminal reports “command not found”. Then got on help forum and had a bizarre string of commands to add to the /etc config. Shoot..I must be getting old b/c I just hate spending hours trying to get standard hardware to work fiddling in the terminal anymore. SuSe 10.1 will have this partition. Maybe good for some hobbyist….
Being a Gentoo user for the past 2 years has made me starting to look at other distros. I love Gentoo and all, but it can be a pain at times.
I installed PCBSD lastnight, and wow. Easyer then Ubuntu to install.
The base install is just that the base.
Its just enough to be a desktop install, nothing more.
This is how it should be for all distros!
I just dont understand why distros want to install everything under the sun durning the install, I just dont get it. Most of these apps people will not use.
Their install system or there lack of one is the best yet. NO dependencies! Very easy to install, very easy to uninstall. Even installing the Nvidia drivers where very easy.
Out of the box it even played MP3’s and MOV files.
I hope it only gets better from here.
Would be nice if there was a Linux distro that did it like PCBSD.
Yeah, I have tried it, and think it is a very good Distro.
Both PC-BSD and DesktopBSD are excellent, and a very good idea that will help to expand the BSD Operating systems. The competition between both is a good thing aswell, although I hope they are collaborating with each other too…
I will install PC-BSD also as a WMware Virtual machine in another PCs.
For those who want to try it in a virtual Machine before installing it in a Hard Disk, you can download a very recent “PC-BSD 1.0 VMware image”!
This is the link: http://linuxtracker.org/
Enjoy it, because the era of the “BSD Desktop Ready” OS is also very near! BSD is catching up the Linux easy Distros; and soon both will be easier to install and use for an average PC user than Windows…
PC-BSD is the prove of it!
I tried PC-BSD, it was okay. I prefer DesktopBSD, I have tried the CD. I am currently downloading the DesktopBSD DVD iso. I’m hoping the DVD is even better. Has anyone out there tried the DVD version of DesktopBSD?
/2 pence
.PBI, I would be heppy, maybe the second realease of PC-BSD will get a look, I have 56k now, there is wireless broadband here, but a hill blocks it!!! Sorry, anyway I have OpenSuSE 10 now, & besides the install crap I like it.
Why is the CD labeled FreeSBIE? I have tried FreeSBIE once before as a live CD, I can’t say I liked it. Are these the same people? I have just burned the CD and before I mess up with my boot sector, has anybody tried this on a spare partition after a WinXP one? Does it automatically create a boot option to let you choose OSes? Thanks.
probably because the install program runs off of a freesbie live cd
1. Format computer
2. Install Windows XP