accessing newly installed package

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dvh

I apologize in advance for what will be a trivial question to answer, but I am totally new to FreeBSD. I just installed 8.2, and successfully installed Xorg and fluxbox, which seem to be operating normally. I tried to install a web browser (firefox) using [cmd=]pkg_add -r firefox[/cmd] which seemed to work, but, I cannot start firefox. Well, maybe I can, but I apparently don't know how. when I enter [cmd=]firefox[/cmd] at an Xterm prompt, the system replies that firefox cannot be found.

What simple step have I missed?

-dvh
 
Ok, thanks. So I did the "rehash", but no change. Still get
Code: 
Command not found
Logged off and back on. No change. Rebooted. No change. I am missing something very basic, but I don't know what it is.

-dvh
 
Nope. But your hint got me started. /usr/local/bin/firefox3 does exist, and running [CMD=]firefox3[/CMD] starts firefox. Now why would I not guess to use "firefox3" as the starting command...

-dvh
 
Ah, it's because you're getting packages as of 8.2-RELEASE. I'm going to make vague hand-waving motions toward setting PACKAGESITE so you get the latest packages, where Firefox 4 is now just firefox.
 
Thanks for the subtle reference. I read about the releases, but I am not sure how to go about getting beyond the 8.2 release. can this be done for just some applications, or should I go all out for the entire system?

I am coming from a gentoo-linux and arch-linux background, where there really are not numbered releases...more of just a rolling release. I keep those systems up to date at least once a week. can I easily exercise the same sort of consistent advances with BSD, or does the crowd here generally stick with a fixed, numbered release?

I have read a lot of the FreeBSD handbook, but I don't know if that is the best reference. If I wanted to learn more about how to keep my system current, can you recommend a site or reference that I can read?

-dvh
 
The biggest difference between a Linux install and a FreeBSD install is that applications are completely separate from the base OS. There is only 1 ports tree, giving you a "rolling release" for applications ... without changing the base OS.

For example, you can install FreeBSD 8.2, install the ports tree off the CD, install Firefox 3.x via that ports tree, then later update the ports tree and upgrade to Firefox 4.x, without changing the base OS version.

Using binary packages, things are a bit different. If you install FreeBSD 8.2 and use pkg_add(1) to install packages, even if you install packages 6 months later, you get the same versions for apps. This is because binary packages for a specific FreeBSD release are created when the install CD is made, and generally aren't upgraded.

However, binary packages for FreeBSD 8-STABLE (the development branch that will eventually become the next -RELEASE, similar to the way Debian Testing works) are built on a roughly monthly basis. So, if you install FreeBSD 8.2, change the PACKAGESITE environment variable to point to the packages-8-stable directory on the FTP servers, then you get a "mostly rolling release" for applications. But, the versions available in binary package will be behind the versions available in the ports tree.
 
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