# Installing: Another Linux user...



## werdigo49 (Apr 12, 2009)

I installed 7.1 from a DVD download, and FreeBSD begins (if I log in as user) with a $ prompt. I guess Linux has made me soft (I remember having to type C:\wp to get WordPerfect going in the DOS days) but I was hoping for a graphical desktop.

Typing "startx" provides three panes: Login takes up the whole left half of the screen, and two "Xterm" panes each occupy vertical halves of the right side of the screen.

Placing the cursor after the prompt in any of these panes, I can search the disk (cd /usr, then ls ... etc.). But how do I get a standard Linux-type Window manager to run? Then... how about programs (like Firefox) later?

Sorry for the noob question here, guys... but it's been a long time since I've had to do much installation from a console. RedHat 5.1 days, maybe.


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## DutchDaemon (Apr 12, 2009)

FreeBSD installs a base system, everything else is an add-on, including graphical desktops. 

Read the handbook. The link's in the signature.


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## ale (Apr 12, 2009)

werdigo49 said:
			
		

> I installed 7.1 from a DVD download, and FreeBSD begins (if I log in as user) with a $ prompt. I guess Linux has made me soft (I remember having to type C:\wp to get WordPerfect going in the DOS days) but I was hoping for a graphical desktop.


So try pcbsd or desktopbsd



			
				werdigo49 said:
			
		

> Typing "startx" provides three panes: Login takes up the whole left half of the screen, and two "Xterm" panes each occupy vertical halves of the right side of the screen.
> 
> Placing the cursor after the prompt in any of these panes, I can search the disk (cd /usr, then ls ... etc.).


This is twm.



			
				werdigo49 said:
			
		

> But how do I get a standard Linux-type Window manager to run? Then... how about programs (like Firefox) later?


You have to choose what do you want and then install it by yourself.
Have a look here to learn how to install ports or packages
http://www.freebsd.org/doc/en_US.ISO8859-1/books/handbook/ports.html
and here to install and configure x11+wm/de
http://www.freebsd.org/doc/en_US.ISO8859-1/books/handbook/x11.html



			
				werdigo49 said:
			
		

> Sorry for the noob question here, guys... but it's been a long time since I've had to do much installation from a console. RedHat 5.1 days, maybe.


No problem!


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## Brandybuck (Apr 12, 2009)

Don't dismiss the command line too quickly. It's the best way to learn the system. Think of how much you now know about Linux just because you used Redhat 5.1 way back before graphical installs and automatically configured xorg.confs.

But the handbook has a section on setting up X.org. It sounds like it's already running, but you might want to tweak the xorg.conf settings. To install another window manager or desktop, you can use ports to build them, or there might already be packages for what you want on your install DVD.


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## ndanil (Apr 12, 2009)

*what is going on?*

I have installed FreeBSD 7.1 from a DVD image, and have some problems with X.Org. After login and 

```
startx
```
I see the following desktop (see attachment).
What is happening? Is that the thing i should see?
P.S. While installing i have checked the option to install gnome.


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## ligregni (Apr 12, 2009)

HERE SOMETHING THAT COULD HELP!!!

Hi, I know what you are passing for, you have now configured the X Window System, but, you need a Window Manager (plus a desktop if you want), so, you have firstly to install it.

The magic starts here, you can install any of the WM/Desktop you want (even more than one at a time), do you like Gnome?, let's get it, wanna try KDE?, let's get it too, something about micee?, try XFce4!!!, there are all for everyone.

There are two different ways to install one of those, for example, with Gnome:

//Install from packages

$ su
Password:
# pkg_add -r gnome2 //If 'gnome2' doesn't work, try just 'gnome'

Other (slower) way:

//If you have the port tree installed

$ su
Password:
# cd /usr/ports/x11/gnome2
# make install clean

(Go to have lunch or something, this will last)

Once installed, you should check if there were some messages (in the last part), this is because, for example, to get XFce4 working, you should type:

$ startxfce4

And the XFce4 WM/Desktop starts, maybe for Gnome is startgnome or something (I think I remember for KDE is startkde, so, there is no chance no miss).

There are a way to make the system starts directly in Graphic Environment, about .profile or something, this is one thing to search on (Maybe the same install program tells you what to put where).

Then you mentioned about Firefox and all those apps, the easiest way is by package install:

$ su
Password:
# pkg_add -r firefox //Maybe there is 'firefox3' too

and this is the way

One thing to know the exactly name is by the ports tree

$ su
Password:
# cd /usr/ports/
# ls

//Here are all the cathegories, If you have none, you maybe should try portsnap

# cd /
# portsnap -fetch //Or something like this, you should check the man pages
# man portsnap //This is a little heavy text, but it is the best info you can have ever.

I hope this is helpful for you

Greetings from Mexico

Sergio Ligregni.


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## DutchDaemon (Apr 12, 2009)

[merged into a single "I won't RTFM" thread]


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## ndanil (Apr 12, 2009)

ligregni said:
			
		

> HERE SOMETHING THAT COULD HELP!!!
> //Install from packages
> 
> $ su
> ...



did this. it says "successfully installed" or something like that. 
I've also done 

```
# pkgdb -Ff
# portupgrade -aOW
```
according to the FAQ. 
so, how to start gnome?
how to check, whether is it installed or not properly (but i think it is installed)


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## znaya (Apr 12, 2009)

```
gdm
```


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## jb_fvwm2 (Apr 12, 2009)

I first tried twm, then windowmaker, then maybe another,
then fvwm2-devel (with a cool .rc from the web somewhere),
now another minimalistic (with a cool .rc from the
web somewhere).  IF the .rc's from the web weren't so
cool, I might actually run gnome one day.   Though I have
many gnome (gtk2, etc) programs installed.  
..........
Actually I feel manpages should be more verbose. I can hardly
read them without the PAGER set to /lookat/ (that is besides
the point, the latter has colors good as default)....  for
instance I have several ports installed with require postgresql-8
but have yet seen a guide (onlamp-style) with which to actually
install and implement the databases (that I remember.  I might
have a few printed out and awaiting implementation somewhere.
.........
I am not trying to do anything other than point out the above.  It
is not that I actually need to run the /ports/ yet...


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## werdigo49 (Apr 12, 2009)

Thanks for your responses. I'm posting this from FreeBSD using Firefox via KDE 3.5. I consider this a lot of progress, though there's still a lot of tweaking to be done.


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## ndanil (Apr 12, 2009)

znaya said:
			
		

> ```
> gdm
> ```


Firstly, it gave lots of errors, than, after manually reconfiguring _xorg.conf_ xserver is started using _gdm_!!!
I'm so excited.
But mouse is not working.
make it by trial and error editing _xorg.conf_?


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## ndanil (Apr 12, 2009)

This is the most productive night i have ever had!
mouse also started working.
next step is configuring DSL connection.


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## znaya (Apr 12, 2009)

/usr/sbin/sysinstall

"Configure" -> "Mouse" -> "Enable"


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## ndanil (Apr 12, 2009)

Thank you all very much!
latest question for the night!
my FreeBSD sits under a proxy server, so i use 

```
setenv http_proxy "@192.168.0.9:84"
```
system works OK.
But after reboot, this line escapes, and i need to write it again.
why is that happening?


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## ale (Apr 12, 2009)

Add the line to ~/.cshrc (as you are using tcsh).


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## lyuts (Apr 13, 2009)

What i usually do (I have KDE installed) is put 'startkde' into $HOME/.xinitrc file and running startx runs my KDE.


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## ndanil (Apr 18, 2009)

ale said:
			
		

> Add the line to ~/.cshrc (as you are using tcsh).


the thing is, in that configuration file, the line is not stored either.

Now, in the Gnome, I cannot open any of the menu items under system -> administration. I got only "the configuration could not be loaded" error.
Can You help?


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## SirDice (Apr 19, 2009)

Gnome and KDE depend on HAL/Dbus. Add the following to /etc/rc.conf: 

```
dbus_enable="YES"
hald_enable="YES"
```

http://www.freebsd.org/gnome/docs/halfaq.html


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