Kris Moore has been working hard designing the next system installer for PC-BSD 1.3 due next month. Some of the nice features include selection between desktop, laptop or server. This installer will use KDE’s Plastik theme. Full list of features can be found here and Kris’ blog entry with screenshots here.
PC-BSD 1.3 System Installer Taking Shape
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Eugenia Loli
Ex-programmer, ex-editor in chief at OSNews.com, now a visual artist/filmmaker.
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PCBSD is doing what FreeBSD couldn’t do or didn’t feel excited about BSD on the desktop. I think BSD is a fine operating system to be confined to just the servers. And projects like PCBSD can go a long way in bringing BSD to the desktop by simplifying the install process, adding the latest packages to their repository (I don’t like to be stuck with KDE 3.0 when some linux users are using ver 3.5.4).
I have always wondered… Unix has its strength in its robust kernel which has seen more man years of development than Linux has ever seen but Linux leads the race in the sheer amount of applications that are developed for it.
So why not combine both these strengths and create an OS which has the unix kernel and all the latest linux applications ? I think on this note PCBSD is on the right path. Another one I am excited about is Nexenta which has the solaris kernel and the GNU applications but it has a long way to catch up with PCBSD.
“So why not combine both these strengths and create an OS which has the unix kernel and all the latest linux applications ?”
The debian project is what you seem to wish:
http://www.debian.org/ports/kfreebsd-gnu/ or
http://www.debian.org/ports/netbsd/ which is more mature and usable.
It is a FreeBSD (or NetBSD) kernel with a GNU userland and the debian package system.
Personnally, I would rather use a full Linux/Debian system or a full BSD system, but… other alternatives exist. IMHO, the basic userland is as important as the kernel.
Edited 2006-08-10 07:15
The debian project is what you seem to wish:
http://www.debian.org/ports/kfreebsd-gnu/
Or, better yet, the Nexenta project:
http://www.gnusolaris.org/gswiki
Otherwise known as GNU/Solaris.
That not nesacarily better. It’s only better if you prefer the Solaris kernel to the FreeBSD kernel.
That not nesacarily better. It’s only better if you prefer the Solaris kernel to the FreeBSD kernel.
Oh, but it is a better choice for more reasons than that.
Not only does Nexenta have the ability to run existing Solaris applications, you also have the ability to install and use at least 12,019 packages from an apt repository at the time of this posting!
Thus, from a perspective of the quantity of software available, Solaris being one of the few true remaining UNIX bases left, and being an open source project that cooperates with many of the BSD communities, I think it is a better choice.
True, true; hence, if you want a Solaris for the desktop; don’t expect Sun to provide it.
I’m looking forward to the eventual release; with the stable driver API; the feature rich application set ontop, it’ll provide all the things that people want in a nice cohesive package for the unwashed masses to use.
1) Xorg card detection for refresh rate and setting up resolution and colour depth.
http://forums.pcbsd.org/viewtopic.php?t=4382&highlight=
2) Softraid support in installer.
3) Set multiple partitions for PC-BSD by default
like: /boot/, /etc/, /usr/, /home/.
“/boot/” and “/rescue/” partitions would be read-only and mounted r/w only when needed.
4) Swap partition would be resizable and calculated by installer based on installed RAM size. If computer got multiple hard drives then possibility to set up multiple SWAP spaces.
5) Language files would be available also via Internet download in installer.
6) Set “handsfree installation” config from networked server, USB or floppy disk (set up from XML file data: disk(s), user(s), language(s), keyboard(s) and auto-installed PBIs).
7) Swap space encryption.
8) Maybe even gjournaling filesystem support in upcoming release.
But why post installer features from forums that is nearly a year old for now. And major change compared to previous installer is that new one is ramdisk based- now we can change cd-s without rebooting. I see network install feature coming.