Greetings all, and thanks in advance for your time.
I have become extremely disappointed with Windows over the years, particularly in security and performance aspects. As such, I'm strongly considering the switch to FreeBSD. To that end, I have many questions regarding the architecture itself, as well as the ability to become a replacement desktop environment. I recognize that it is not a smooth transition - moving to UNIX takes a lot of work and education. There are some topics that remain unresolved for me:
1. How does UFS/ZFS maintain 'security'. As we all know, you can hook up an NTFS drive to just about any computer and harvest any information off of it with no issues (unless some Encryption service is employed). One of the advantages of UNIX systems supposedly is that regardless of the computer it is hooked up to, group permissions are retained, and, thus, file security. What is preventing a Windows or other OS client from developing a program that 'reads' UFS/ZFS and therefor compromises all security?
2. To me, I am not satisfied with sacrificing freedom for security. Windows has many flaws, but it also has a wealth of applications, not to mention the benefit of being the most widely supported OS in the English speaking portions of the world. I am familiar with FreshPorts.org, but it is a bit difficult for the novice to find 'replacement' programs. I am wondering to what extent I can replace my 'most used' applications in a FreeBSD Environment. I am also trying to avoid simply emulating everything via Wine/VirtualBox, as that defeats the purpose of FreeBSD for me. This includes: (Note that I am not necessarily seeking a named replacement so much as confirmation that 'Yes: A quality alternative exists in FreeBSD')
Chrome -> Chromium (I am under the impression that most extensions for Chrome in Windows do not work in Chromium - Verify?)
Adobe Flash -> ? (Not sure if this has to be emulated. I'd prefer not to use it, but working in IT, sometimes it is a necessary evil)
VLC -> VLC (I believe this is a seamless transition)
Foobar2000 -> ? (Not sure if there is a quality equivalent for Music Playing and FLAC->MP3 Conversion)
EAC -> ? ( Have not seen anything of that quality, .abcde?)
Tag Manager -> ? (Have not been able to locate any comparable application for editing FLAC and MP3 Tags)
File Manager-> ? (I have become extremely accustomed to Windows File Manager, via Folder Trees and organization)
MSOffice -> Libre (Pretty seamless, I've been told)
RDP -> ? (Not sure what equivalent exists for remote connecting to Windows and Linux GUI environments)
GIMP -> GIMP
IRC -> ? (Numerous IRC clients exist, not too concerned)
Arduino IDE -> ? (Not sure if this has been ported or has to be emulated, even then, can you forward USB ports to an Emulator?)
Basically, I'm trying to ensure that I'm not going a step back in computing just for the sake of using UNIX.
3. Programming Languages. If, for example, Chromium wants to load a Java applet, I'm under the assumption that Java first has to be installed. At this point, however, does Chromium natively know where to look for Java, or is there some kind of a bridging port that acts as a pointer to the Java directory?
4. GUI. I know there is a legendary battle between KDE and GNOME, with users pleased and displeased with design decisions among both. I haven't even decided myself. However, I'm more interested in the GUI that will allow me to design my own efficient desktop space. I'm 'ok' with pre-designed desktops, but one allure of FreeBSD is the ability to customize and optimize. Recommendations? Alternatives? I hear tell that X is simply a torturous labyrinth of install if you haven't done it before, so I'm a bit intimidated by it.
Thank you again for taking the time to read my post, I appreciate your input for a Newbie.
I have become extremely disappointed with Windows over the years, particularly in security and performance aspects. As such, I'm strongly considering the switch to FreeBSD. To that end, I have many questions regarding the architecture itself, as well as the ability to become a replacement desktop environment. I recognize that it is not a smooth transition - moving to UNIX takes a lot of work and education. There are some topics that remain unresolved for me:
1. How does UFS/ZFS maintain 'security'. As we all know, you can hook up an NTFS drive to just about any computer and harvest any information off of it with no issues (unless some Encryption service is employed). One of the advantages of UNIX systems supposedly is that regardless of the computer it is hooked up to, group permissions are retained, and, thus, file security. What is preventing a Windows or other OS client from developing a program that 'reads' UFS/ZFS and therefor compromises all security?
2. To me, I am not satisfied with sacrificing freedom for security. Windows has many flaws, but it also has a wealth of applications, not to mention the benefit of being the most widely supported OS in the English speaking portions of the world. I am familiar with FreshPorts.org, but it is a bit difficult for the novice to find 'replacement' programs. I am wondering to what extent I can replace my 'most used' applications in a FreeBSD Environment. I am also trying to avoid simply emulating everything via Wine/VirtualBox, as that defeats the purpose of FreeBSD for me. This includes: (Note that I am not necessarily seeking a named replacement so much as confirmation that 'Yes: A quality alternative exists in FreeBSD')
Chrome -> Chromium (I am under the impression that most extensions for Chrome in Windows do not work in Chromium - Verify?)
Adobe Flash -> ? (Not sure if this has to be emulated. I'd prefer not to use it, but working in IT, sometimes it is a necessary evil)
VLC -> VLC (I believe this is a seamless transition)
Foobar2000 -> ? (Not sure if there is a quality equivalent for Music Playing and FLAC->MP3 Conversion)
EAC -> ? ( Have not seen anything of that quality, .abcde?)
Tag Manager -> ? (Have not been able to locate any comparable application for editing FLAC and MP3 Tags)
File Manager-> ? (I have become extremely accustomed to Windows File Manager, via Folder Trees and organization)
MSOffice -> Libre (Pretty seamless, I've been told)
RDP -> ? (Not sure what equivalent exists for remote connecting to Windows and Linux GUI environments)
GIMP -> GIMP
IRC -> ? (Numerous IRC clients exist, not too concerned)
Arduino IDE -> ? (Not sure if this has been ported or has to be emulated, even then, can you forward USB ports to an Emulator?)
Basically, I'm trying to ensure that I'm not going a step back in computing just for the sake of using UNIX.
3. Programming Languages. If, for example, Chromium wants to load a Java applet, I'm under the assumption that Java first has to be installed. At this point, however, does Chromium natively know where to look for Java, or is there some kind of a bridging port that acts as a pointer to the Java directory?
4. GUI. I know there is a legendary battle between KDE and GNOME, with users pleased and displeased with design decisions among both. I haven't even decided myself. However, I'm more interested in the GUI that will allow me to design my own efficient desktop space. I'm 'ok' with pre-designed desktops, but one allure of FreeBSD is the ability to customize and optimize. Recommendations? Alternatives? I hear tell that X is simply a torturous labyrinth of install if you haven't done it before, so I'm a bit intimidated by it.
Thank you again for taking the time to read my post, I appreciate your input for a Newbie.