# FreeBSD as a desktop OS



## Windmill (Feb 28, 2014)

Hi, I'm a 17 years old boy. I don't understand so much about operating systems and Unix. but I'm a big supporter of free software and I like to try different things. I already have installed different Linux distributions on my computer, and now I'm running Gentoo. I wanted to try FreeBSD too, but I'm wondering if it would be good as a desktop OS.


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## SirDice (Feb 28, 2014)

I suggest you get some FreeBSD experience first. FreeBSD can be a little daunting at first because you have to configure _everything_ yourself. You can get some great experience with PC-BSD. It's a complete desktop system based on FreeBSD.


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## Windmill (Feb 28, 2014)

Well, I have some experience with Gentoo so I don't fear to configure everything, if the documentation is clear and explains everything I can do it


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## SirDice (Feb 28, 2014)

Can't get much clearer than the handbook: FreeBSD Handbook.


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## Carpetsmoker (Feb 28, 2014)

My first experience with FreeBSD was as a desktop OS when I was 17. 12 years later, I'm still here...

I rarely refer to the handbook these days, but I cannot stress enough how important of a resource it was when I started out. It's really a free community maintained introductory book.
The various manpages are also quite good, in fact, most are much better than the Linux or GNU equivalents.


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## kpa (Feb 28, 2014)

People have different opinions about this topic but I'd say that the basic FreeBSD isn't optimal as a desktop OS because the desktop environments and the X windowing system are not the primary focus of the project. Instead FreeBSD has always been advertised as a "general purpose" OS meaning that it can be adapted to many purposes but it's not specialized to any one of them out of the box.


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## scottro (Feb 28, 2014)

Like anything else, the best way to see if you like it is to try it. If possible, start with a VirtualMachine.  PCBSD is aimed at giving you a desktop, but the last time I tried it, sharing space on a laptop, it was actually harder to get working than a standard FreeBSD install.  
You will find similarities between ports and portage--Daniel Robbins worked on FreeBSD before developing Gentoo, and that experience strongly inspired a lot of Gentoo, at least when it first started. 

You'll run into issues--these forums a great resource, and as others have said, the Handbook can be useful, though it can sometimes be behind the times or make the simple things overly complex.  There is also a wiki at https://wiki.freebsd.org/ which can, at least at times, be more up to date.  

Aside from the differences--which will be less to a Gentoo user than some other flavors of Linux--some of the hardware support may lag behind Linux.  For example, though some folks have had success, I haven't been able to get Skype working.   A particular wireless card I had didn't work until FreeBSD-10.  

However, many of us quite successfully use FreeBSD as a desktop.  In the same way that Linux users sometimes have to find workarounds if they're going to avoid Windows or OSX, we sometimes have to dig a little to find workarounds when using FreeBSD as a desktop.  

However, often, using a system as a desktop is one of the quicker ways to start finding one's way around the system, and the disadvantages are usually minor.


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## Windmill (Feb 28, 2014)

I have a question, is there a live DVD of FreeBSD? In Gentoo I found it useful to have a live DVD so while I was installing the system I could go through the handbook.


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## drhowarddrfine (Feb 28, 2014)

Yes. It's built into the installation DVD.


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## Windmill (Feb 28, 2014)

drhowarddrfine said:
			
		

> Yes. It's built into the installation DVD.


Ok thanks, when I finish to configure Gentoo I'll go for installing FreeBSD


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## SirDice (Feb 28, 2014)

Welcome aboard in that case. Don't be thrown off if all you get is a text based console after installation. That's normal. As I said in my first reply, you have to configure _everything_ yourself. It will take a lot of time, fiddling with configurations and reading documentation to get everything working the way you want it to. But that does have its advantages though, because you have to set everything up yourself you'll learn a lot about the different components that make up a desktop (or a server) and how they interact to make it a whole system.


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## Durden (Mar 1, 2014)

If you can handle Gentoo then FreeBSD will be a snap. Gentoo is far more convoluted and obnoxious to install than FreeBSD is.


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## Deleted member 9563 (Mar 1, 2014)

Lots of ideas here. In my opinion, if you're OK looking at the command line and using an editor, you'll be fine. The handbook has a chapter on installing a desktop. It's pretty clear. In short, install the OS (which gets you to the command line) then install X, followed by something like fluxbox. I'm using KDE now, and that works, but you might get a kick out of something like fluxbox because it's lean and fast and more like a sports car.


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## blackhaz (Mar 1, 2014)

OSX convert here. Using FreeBSD since 9.0 on my laptop. Occasionally going back to OSX just because of some proprietary stuff but your FreeBSD home is going to be phenomenal - once you are finished configuring. Go for it.


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## user0 (Mar 3, 2014)

For a complete noob like myself (17 years Linux experience and 0 FreeBSD so far) it felt quite easy to install FreeBSD 10 and apply xorg+gnome2+firefox+libreoffice with pkg.

Just 2c.

End result: I have practically same user experience as in latest Fedora. Now tuning and configuration begins of course!


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## riberto (Sep 28, 2015)

Guys,
He is a 17 year old, (with all due respects to the young man).
He will install it, and his FreeBSD laptop will be doing back-flips in no time.
Remember the days adults were having issues programing their DVD or VCR players.
One of the kids would come by, touch it and like magic, it would work just fine.
Now you and I?  that is a different story.  I am still wondering if I can get Netflix to run on my FreeBSD laptop.


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## tobik@ (Sep 28, 2015)

riberto said:


> I am still wondering if I can get Netflix to run on my FreeBSD laptop.


You can't unless someone provides a Widevine CDM for FreeBSD. AFAIK the only option right now to watch Netflix in FreeBSD would be to use VirtualBox with a Linux VM with Google Chrome installed.


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## sulman (Oct 6, 2015)

First thing to ask yourself is, what do you want it to do? It'll either fulfill this task, or not.

If you're from Gentoo you'll have no problems; the methodical and clear layout of FreeBSD is very enjoyable.


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## teo (Oct 7, 2015)

The people are asking for a FreeBSD with graphical desktop in a standard way,  but the moderators after a few messages close the topics with padlock,  happened with the  topic *It is very tortuous install FreeBSD desktop? *When in the modern times, operating systems have several functions, not just for servers, are also for tablets, for devices from mobile phones, video games console, this is modern technology that faces all the challenges, the centrist egotism only to servers is causing his big losses to the FreeBSD defunding, with the passing of time is more weak, due to their low market share. It may evolve the graphical desktop in standard way, just as they Debian with its derivatives of the hand.

PC-BSD is an insufficient project of many years and has no support for architecture of 32 bits. Please, do not follow in the old rhetoric only for servers, and appoint to other systems of closed-source for the use of applications in graphical desktop, even Linux becomes corrupted with its systemd.


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## Beastie7 (Oct 7, 2015)

teo said:


> The people are asking for a FreeBSD with graphical desktop in a standard way,  but the moderators after a few messages close the topics with padlock,  happened with the  topic *It is very tortuous install FreeBSD desktop? *When in the modern times, operating systems have several functions, not just for servers, are also for tablets, for devices from mobile phones, video games console, this is modern technology that faces all the challenges, the centrist egotism only to servers is causing his big losses to the FreeBSD defunding, with the passing of time is more weak, due to their low market share. It may evolve the graphical desktop in standard way, just as they Debian with its derivatives of the hand.
> 
> PC-BSD is an insufficient project of many years and has no support for architecture of 32 bits. Please, do not follow in the old rhetoric only for servers, and appoint to other systems of closed-source for the use of applications in graphical desktop, even Linux becomes corrupted with its systemd.



I really wish you would stop repeating your endless conjecture and fear mongering non-sense.


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## Deleted member 9563 (Oct 7, 2015)

teo said:


> The people are asking for a FreeBSD with graphical desktop in a standard way,



When we talk about humans, there is no "standard way" unless you're talking about MS-Windows style without daring to say so.



> but the moderators after a few messages close the topics with padlock, happened with the topic *It is very tortuous install FreeBSD desktop?*



Surely you know the reason for that. It's because some people seem to have an agenda that they want to push and they start to get rude about it.



> in the modern times, operating systems have several functions, not just for servers,



You don't say! I use Linux on a bunch of servers, but there is nothing better than FreeBSD for the desktop. Yes, I've looked at a dozen operating systems over the last 30 years. I realize your opinion may be different, and that's absolutely wonderful, but it doesn't mean that mine is bad.



> are also for tablets, for devices from mobile phones, video games console, this is modern technology that faces all the challenges, the centrist egotism only to servers is causing his big losses to the FreeBSD defunding,



Please, FreeBSD is not only for servers so you should stop saying that. I realize that developers concentrate on that because of limited resources (and perhaps personal interest), but there is nothing inherently wrong with that. I do wonder why it would be of any benefit to have FreeBSD run on video games consoles though, unless you think it would be a good source of revenue. If money is the object then I suppose that could make sense. 

As for calling people centric egotists, well that's just plain insulting. Would you come here and tell me that to my face? With all due respect, it sounds like you have lost touch with basic human understanding and politeness. We are all different and have different likes and interests. Yours are not inherently better than mine, and I am not an "egotist" because I have different likes, and indeed needs, than you do.


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## sidetone (Oct 26, 2015)

Companies fund and develop FreeBSD to make sure it's hardware and server software works. Intel, for instance, makes sure it's FreeBSD drivers are professional. Apple gives a lot of open-source code and even a few programs to FreeBSD. There are other contributions too. FreeBSD base-install, with the exception of as-is, is a professional operating system. It is also easily capable of being a professional server. _The basis for a stable operating system, that can be used for other purposes is because of this_. Other Unixes, as good as they are, lack a lot of network card functionality or reliability, because they don't have this level of support.

There's very few obstacles, ie a learning curve and work, stopping people or companies from developing or improving desktop applications of FreeBSD.


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## UnixRocks (Oct 28, 2015)

teo said:


> The people are asking for a FreeBSD with graphical desktop in a standard way ...


What exactly is this _standard way_ to which you refer? There *is* a _standard way_ to install a graphical desktop under FreeBSD. It does not vary from install to install of FreeBSD. Use that way and it will work for "the people" just as well as it does for those of us who are apparently not people.


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## Oko (Oct 29, 2015)

teo said:


> The people are asking for a FreeBSD with graphical desktop in a standard way,  but the moderators after a few messages close the topics with padlock,  happened with the  topic *It is very tortuous install FreeBSD desktop? *



FreeBSD or something very similar with the graphical desktop in a standard way already exists. It is called OS X. It has few quirks which old UNIX people like me don't like. Use of the *p-list* files instead of plain text files comes to mind which is a big NONO in the UNIX world. Even more troubling is the use of `launchd` instead of rc.conf scripts. Other than that it is really old good UNIX under the hood built on the top of MACH kernel. Actually OS X comes with the newer version of PF than FreeBSD. D-Trace works as expected not to mentioned standard UNIX toolbox sed, AWK, filters (grep, egrep, tr, ets). It even has Wayland done right which most people just call Aqua interface. Apple gave up on ZFS after Oracle acquisition but its own file system is OK, certainly better than Windows and Linux (with exception of XFS) have to offer. 

As of installation the only standard way of installing OS that I know of is that somebody else already installed and configured OS for you. I work for the number one CS department in U.S. Carnegie Mellon University (I should have used plural because we are ranked number one jointly with MIT and Stanford) and I can tell you most people who work for that department have never installed an OS in their lives. That doesn't mean they are not capable of doing it. Hell some of them can write their own OS let alone boot loader or some other component. For example my officemate is one of the original members of
*Project Athena.* Even above mentioned MACH kernel is originally coded in one of the offices in my building. It is just not very practical for people to do their own OS installation.


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## UncleBAZINGA (Oct 29, 2015)

Windmill said:


> Hi, I'm a 17 years old boy. I don't understand so much about operating systems and Unix. but I'm a big supporter of free software and I like to try different things. I already have installed different Linux distributions on my computer, and now I'm running Gentoo. I wanted to try FreeBSD too, but I'm wondering if it would be good as a desktop OS.



Some two weeks ago I started to get into FreeBSD from scratch (just very basic Unix/FreeBSD/Linux experience so far) to build a desktop with it.
I nearly spent my whole spare time with the FreeBSD handbook, your favorite search engine and a lot of learning-by-doing with several fresh installations of the OS. I even had to incorporate a new firmware and recompile the kernel in order to get my WiFi chip working. As for today I have a well running system with a nice Xfce4 desktop, all the tools I need and plenty of motivation to start learning a lot more than just building a desktop system with FreeBSD! There are still some kinks I want to fix, but right now I couldn't be happier!


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