31 Jan
2021
31 Jan
'21
5:31 a.m.
On Sat, Jan 30, 2021 at 04:22:49PM -0700, Warner Losh wrote:
Yup. If FreeBSD wants anyone to use it, fix that installer. 99.99%
of people would give up after seeing that, you'd never get them to
userland.
No argument there... Part of the problem is that, up until relatively
lately, the whole X experience sucked really badly on FreeBSD. Now that it
doesn't suck, it's time for a re-evaluation...
It's 20 years past the time for that re-evaluation. Seriously, Linux
distros have been installing in X for at least 20 years, I think maybe
more. If they can do it....
Try xubuntu, that's what I use. Pretty light weight UI but all the
parts are there and it doesn't change much.
But yet it's not stuck?
Nope, it's not remotely stuck. I get it, you like FreeBSD. That's fine
but be honest about where it is. How many of the developers with a commit
bit actually run FreeBSD on their desktop and laptops? As their daily
platform?
On Sat, Jan 30, 2021 at 4:19 PM Larry McVoy
<lm(a)mcvoy.com> wrote:
I speak from experience of trying to install FreeBSD on a netflix server
a couple of years back. It wasn't pleasant and it seems pretty identical
to the installer I used decades ago.
On Sun, Jan 31, 2021 at 10:11:19AM +1100, Greg
'groggy' Lehey wrote:
Um, my mother could install any Linux system today and 10-20 years ago.
There is not the slightest chance that she could install FreeBSD.
I find that hard to believe. The defaults just work on the vast majority of
systems, even if the interface is text-based and not a fancy GUI... I
remember when Linux was this bad in the .90ish releases. A long
time ago. Now their install is painless, it's every bit as good as
Windows and maybe better.
FWIW, I find Microsoft "Windows" installation terminally confusing
(that's what you were talking about, right?). And I've run into
serious problems with various Linux installations too. That doesn't
make the FreeBSD tools better, but maybe it relativizes it. FreeBSD is
stuck in the 1990's in terms of user interface.
You're still talking about the installer, aren't you? They've
done some good stuff in the kernel but it's not an end user
system,
There I have to agree with you. A little TLC would go a long way.
But I hope that you're not advocating the "change your GUI with your
underwear" attitude that Microsoft, Apple and many Linux distros
have. One of the reasons I don't use Linux is because every time I
try, the interface has changed.