# About installing 3rd-party softwares



## kaege (Sep 2, 2010)

Hello, everyone. I'm a person interested in FreeBSD (and other Unix-like OSes in general) and I have some simple questions: could one downloads third-party software for FreeBSD in a computer (in internet cafe for example), and then installs it in another computer with no internet connection either by package or port method (just like installing softwares for Windows)? If it's posssible, where could I download the packages and the distfiles for port method? And is there any desktop environment's package and/or distfile and port in the ISO? Unfortunately, I have no internet connection at home so I have to confirm these things before instaking FreeBSD.

Best regards.


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## graudeejs (Sep 2, 2010)

It is possible.
I recommend to download FreeBSD dvd, it contains many packages 

There were at least 2 threads about this, but dam, I can't find them


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## kaege (Sep 2, 2010)

So if I am to use the DVD, I've to mount the DVD drive first, right?


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## graudeejs (Sep 2, 2010)

doh


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## UNIXgod (Sep 2, 2010)

kaege said:
			
		

> So if I am to use the DVD, I've to mount the DVD drive first, right?



maybe or you can use sysinstall()


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## kaege (Sep 2, 2010)

UNIXgod said:
			
		

> maybe or you can use sysinstall()



Okay. I've just reread the handbook and I know sysinstall can also be used to install packages. Another question from me: could one uses pkg_add command to install packages from local disk, not from the network?
Sorry for keep asking, I'm really new to all these UNIX things :\


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## graudeejs (Sep 2, 2010)

yes.

In-fact by default it will look for local packages in current directory. TO download and install package from remote server you need to add *-r* switch

pkg_add(1)


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## kaege (Sep 2, 2010)

killasmurf86 said:
			
		

> yes.
> 
> In-fact by default it will look for local packages in current directory. TO download and install package from remote server you need to add *-r* switch
> 
> pkg_add(1)



What? Really? Now that's a great news I've been waiting for :e


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## Beastie (Sep 2, 2010)

Downloading the DVD may be the easiest method, but it may be a waste of time and bandwidth. You can do this manually if you want.

Open the port collection search page.
Search for the application you want.
Write down the exact application name and the names of all its dependencies. The version after the application name is (most of the time) not important.
Open the FTP repository for the 8.1 release packages. It will take a while to load within a web browser. If you can (and know how to) use an ftp client such as ftp(1), you may prefer using that instead.
Search for every single package you wrote down and download them.
Copy all packages to the target machine.
Do a *pkg_add application-version.tbz* for the application only. This command will install the application and all its dependencies.


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## graudeejs (Sep 2, 2010)

Beastie said:
			
		

> Downloading the DVD may be the easiest method, but it may be a waste of time and bandwidth. You can do this manually if you want.
> 
> Open the port collection search page.
> Search for the application you want.
> ...



you're nuts.... 
For a minimal desktop this means at least 600 packages, writing them down will be pain, and if he wants KDE4 and some other apps, then it's could as well be about 800-1400 packages 

It's much bether to simply download dvd


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## kaege (Sep 2, 2010)

Beastie said:
			
		

> Downloading the DVD may be the easiest method, but it may be a waste of time and bandwidth. You can do this manually if you want.
> 
> Open the port collection search page.
> Search for the application you want.
> ...



Alrighty. I grasped it now


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## kaege (Sep 2, 2010)

BTW, Was Xfce package included in the downloadable ISO?


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## Beastie (Sep 2, 2010)

killasmurf86 said:
			
		

> you're nuts....
> 
> For a minimal desktop this means at least 600 packages, writing them down will be pain, and if he wants KDE4, then it's could as well be about 800-1000 packages
> 
> It's much bether to simply download dvd


I may be nuts, but sometimes you must make seemingly impossible choices. I used to do this on a remote machine a very long time ago due to a very bad local Internet connection. And it worked fine as far as I remember.

The port collection page on the FreeBSD server lists the entire dependency tree, contrary to Freshports. So if you search for *xorg-minimal*, a few other xorg metaports and your favorite WM, you already have all the needed packages for a basic desktop system.

By writing down I meant copy/pasting. Also once you have the list, you can easily append the rest of the URL (ftp://../All/) using shell magic  and you can then pass the list to, say, wget.

I have a little more than 400 ports/dependencies. They are everything I need. I just know how to choose my applications wisely based on both functionality _and_ minimalism.
By I do use applications such as Blender and the GIMP.


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## DutchDaemon (Sep 2, 2010)

kaege, please read The Handbook; almost everything you ask is covered (in detail) right there. See my signature.


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## kaege (Sep 3, 2010)

DutchDaemon said:
			
		

> kaege, please read The Handbook; almost everything you ask is covered (in detail) right there. See my signature.



Sorry. It's just that the Handbook is too detail that I can't read it without confusing myself :\


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## jb_fvwm2 (Sep 3, 2010)

You may be interested in the several freebsd
distributions that install from a cdr with
packages already built in (Freesbie was one,
others... if not from the official install
cd which takes more time and setup.)
But see guides with screenshots on the web
first probably (of the install(s)).
desktopbsd... etc
Maybe see the "sticky" threads that have lots
of links.
as far as ports,
you really only need /usr/ports/ftp/ncftp(3)
and can do 
	
	



```
ncftp ftp://ftp.freebsd.org/pub/FreeBSD/ports/i386/packages-8-stable/www
```
, then a "ls", 
for example, to download packages for browsers to install from
maybe a thumbdrive to another machine without a connection at
the time.  Hardest part is writing it all down as you go along.


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