The FreeBSD Installer is Very Productive
I know that Linux is a pretty popular system these days, and there are enough people out there who have tried one distribution or another at some point. But even among IT professionals, many are unaware of FreeBSD. The About FreeBSD page is a good, concise introduction to the system and what it offers: FreeBSD is an advanced operating system for x86 compatible (including Pentium® and Athlon™), amd64 compatible (including Opteron™, Athlon™64, and EM64T), ARM, IA-64, PC-98 and UltraSPARC® architectures. It is derived from BSD, the version of UNIX® developed at the University of California, Berkeley.
Over the years, I have used FreeBSD for a wide variety of server deployments. It has always proven to be a stable, reliable, and efficient system. One of the aspects of it I most respect and enjoy is the installer. It may seem awkward the first time, but once you get used to it, you really end up seeing the power and productivity it embodies. Overall, it’s a very sensible installer.
Today I saw an article about the FreeBSD installer that explains in a straightforward fashion what it takes to get a typical FreeBSD installation up and going. There are numerous screenshots that show the process in a step-by-step fashion, with brief explanations as to what is going on.
The article further covers what it takes to configure and build the kernel and the userland applications and libraries. Overall, I think it’s an excellent introduction that anyone considering FreeBSD should read. It provides an excellent tutorial for individuals who are installing FreeBSD for the first time. Using this documentation, I think you’ll be able to get your FreeBSD system up and running in virtually no time at all. After having done so many FreeBSD installations, I find I have become very efficient with it. I often wish that the FreeBSD installer was used for Linux and OpenSolaris distributions.
January 26th, 2007 at 8:10 am
My opinion, for whatever its worth. FreeBSD absolutely and unconditionally rocks the house. 6.2 is the best release so far. The OS sets the standard for stability. Yes, the ports collection is a bit behind the curve if you’re a Linux aficionado, but it’s a “unix like” server OS, not a desktop eye candy Linux distro. We have committed to FreeBSD across all our servers in several datacenters.
OK, all that said, the installer sucks ass.
Yes you can get used to it. Yes a minimum install can be mind-bendingly fast to do. All true. However, to get proficient with the installer is a task in itself - AND THAT OUGHT NOT TO BE. To be mind-numbingly exact, the partioning tool is little better than something out of the DOS world. If you’re unfamiliar with it, getting into an endless loop (i.e. being able to simply move on to the next step and finalize the partition map) is all too easy for those on the 1st - 10th installation. After 10 attempts most people begin to understand the structure and can navigate with greater ease through the process. “OK” you say, “just accept the defaults and you’re good to go, it’s easier” WTF???? Let’s say that’s true (it more or less *is* true) is that any way to run a railroad/OS_installer? I think not.
Professional OS or not, (and they don’t get much more professional than FreeBSD) there is a genuine issue concerning usability where the installer is concerned.
In short, the installer sucks ass.
January 26th, 2007 at 1:44 pm
I agree that the FreeBSD installer is good. It’s a nice compromise between two extremes - ‘text prompt’ style like OpenBSD’s and full GUI like, e.g. RH Linux. Workman-like and efficient but flexible and usable.
One thing that may not be obvious to the new user is that you can dip into it at any point, long after initial installation, to modify config options or to install new packages, distribution sets etc. Just type ’sysinstall’ at the root prompt and away you go.