roddierod said:I install FreeBSD 10.0 Release on a Core2Duo Sony Vaio laptop that I borrowed from work last weekend just to play with the new release. During the install I chose the wireless network name and entered the network password and that was it. I didn't have to edit any files.
Now I did not play with switching networks or anything like that so maybe that is more complicated, although I suspect it has more to do with the wireless device of the laptop.
ifconfig
/rc.conf configuration).roddierod said:What does the installer use to configure wireless networks? And could this be adapted into something the average user can use?
roddierod said:I would volunteer to work on a set of FreeBSD specific "user friendly" GUI tools (given that they are written in Python for now because my C is rusty) and I'd be more than happy to start with a wi-fi app.
shepper said:Arch LInux, prior to the migration to systemd, had a menu option. If the option was set in rc.conf the kernel would boot normally up to the point were the network connection was established. Then the process would pause and an ncurses menu would appear listing preconfigured menu options that were selectable. Select the desired network and finish booting with the "enter" key.
In Arch the network options were previously configured in an interfaces file.
jrm said:If you like the way the installer configures things, you might be interested in sysutils/bsdconfig,
nanotek said:This is a really good idea; a simple TUI dialog and no GUI, per se, would be more than enough to quell the frurore.
kpedersen said:nanotek said:This is a really good idea; a simple TUI dialog and no GUI, per se, would be more than enough to quell the frurore.
I would personally find a TUI much more useful. We could use *curses too so to avoid messing around with maintaining GUI toolkits.
For those who really want a GUI window to appear can always set up the shortcut of `xterm -e tui_wifi`
The official python curses api looks really simple too (http://docs.python.org/2/howto/curses.html). It pretty much exactly mimicks the C API that we all know and love.
SaltyNoob said:There does seem to be a sense of pride doing things the hard way, among the FreeBSD veterans.
SaltyNoob said:Sometimes I get the same opinion of an earlier comment. There does seem to be a sense of pride doing things the hard way, among the FreeBSD veterans.
nanotek said:It's human nature.
It also seems to be human nature to compartmentalize. I think you will find many diverse opinions among FreeBSD users. Please remember, just because a FreeBSD user wrote it on the forums doesn't mean he/she speaks for everyone. Having said that, a consistent theme has been keeping things simple, whether it's the license, the code, the filesystem hierarchy, etc. I don't think it's about being different, but about focusing on what developers feel is most important.nanotek said:FreeBSD users enjoy being perceived as FreeBSD users, not Linux users. Adaptations to FreeBSD that resemble that of Linux, for example, erode that perception. It's human nature.
kpedersen said:nanotek said:It's human nature.
And also why we have a ports collection. To take the full impact of GUI "apps" and to keep base clean from clutter
If you must, think of FreeBSD as having a politically correct outer shell with a chewy xenophobic core haha
kpedersen said:nanotek said:It's human nature.
And also why we have a ports collection. To take the full impact of GUI "apps" and to keep base clean from clutter
If you must, think of FreeBSD as having a politically correct outer shell with a chewy xenophobic core haha
SaltyNoob said:I think my crazy suggestion of a command line instructional script for getting your network up (especially mobile broadband) instead of a gui is a happy medium.
jrm said:It also seems to be human nature to compartmentalize. I think you will find a many diverse opinions among FreeBSD users. Please remember, just because a FreeBSD user wrote it on the forums doesn't mean he/she speaks for everyone.
jrm said:Having said that, a consistent theme has been keeping things simple, whether it's the license, the code, the filesystem hierarchy, etc. I don't think it's about being different, but about focusing on what developers feel is most important.
tzoi516 said:FreeBSD can stay the way it is core-wise. That being said, while working in a GUI that isn't Gnome or KDE it would be nice to have a GUI-based utility. Yes, some people can write their own utility and share, but not everyone is a programmer or would know where to begin to manipulate hardware after installing (yes, there's the handbook, but it's not completely up-to-date - who would refer their children to a 50's book on the birds and the bees today?).
zspider said:Also since the FreeBSD foundation is involved in funding PC-BSD which was built for primarily for the purpose of being a FreeBSD desktop, it is not right to expect them to duplicate their efforts. PC-BSD doesn't exist just for the hell of it.
ctrl_interface=/var/run/wpa_supplicant
ctrl_interface_group=wheel
sulman said:This means one has to dig into configuration files. Now, once you've done that you realise the config files are not that scary, and it's often just as easy for a naked ifconfig + wpa_supplicant setup anyway. Arch Linux has a good intermediary called netctl - it's essentially a script - but it does the job pretty well.
not as a misinformation, rather a misunderstanding
Saying you don't know how to program/script so you can't make a solution isn't an attitude that got anything in FreeBSD to any pleasing state ever