Subj : FreeBSD
To   : Rolf Edlund
From : John Donohue
Date : Tue Dec 31 2002 09:31 am

 JD> Compiling a customized kernel seemed to me to be easier under freebsd
 JD> as there's one (text) control file you edit for that.

 RE> Like the control file in Linux ? The one there is, 
 RE> after saving the configuration from menuconfig or xconfig ?

yes, equivalent to what you get after running menuconfig
there are several sample files in /usr/src/sys/i386/conf, you pick the one 
closest to what you want, copy/rename it, edit it (various options are fully 
commented, I only had to look in outside sources a few times for help on what 
an option did or did I need it). when done editing, you run 'config' then a 
couple of makes, then reboot

 JD> I was impressed by freebsd's ability to automatically go out on the
 JD> net and get any files or packages it lacks when you tell it to
 JD> install something.

 RE> So you have to be online, when installing programs with FreeBSD ?

not really. I pulled the .iso off the web and burned the cd; I didn't pull
the extra images with what they call the 'ports' collection (src/binaries for 
all those extra packages). when you invoke one of the install 'stubs', it looks 
for it's components on your hard drive and cd rom(s) first, they hits the web 
automatically if you have a connection. if you have the full set of cd's (4 or 
5?) you wouldn't need the web connection to install anything....
you only need the 1st cd to install all the common stuff

 RE> computer ? I have heard something about, that *BSD is 
 RE> best as a server, and not so good as a workstation ?

I've only explored the server side so far (I don't bother to install X on my 
servers); but from looking at the contents of the cd's and whats in the book I 
have and at the man pages, It looks to me like all the parts are there.

 RE> Btw, Is there any good *BSD handbooks out there ?

I just checked on amazon.com (searched on 'freebsd' with a spec of books only) 
and got 19 hits, I recognize some of the titles/authors from other tech. books.
the one I have and used to help me install is 'The Complete FreeBSD' by Greg 
Lehey. www.freebsd.org has a hypertext search engine for multiple versions of 
the freebsd man pages at www.freebsd.org/cgi/man.cgi which I also used.

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