How well does the handbook stay updated with new releases?

A

Allamgir

Since 8.0 is coming out soon (btw, what are the chances of the final release coming out this week?) and the handbook around here is legendary, I was wondering if the updated handbook will be available once the new release comes out. Is it already written and just not uploaded yet, or will the updating start after 8.0 is released?
 
It's a rolling released handbook. It's getting updated from time to time, but it is not necessarily updated when a new FreeBSD version is relesed.
As with FreeBSD itself, it's just a project of volunteers and someone needs to find the time to sit down and update the handbook.
BTW: You're welcome to contribute. :)
 
So in principle, it's updated when it's updated, not necessarily according to freebsd releases. In practice, is it generally not much time before the handbook reflects the latest release or is there a period of weeks or months during which the handbook remains mostly outdated?

I'd love to contribute once I start using freebsd, but I have to wait for version 8 because of hardware reasons.
 
Allamgir said:
I'd love to contribute once I start using freebsd, but I have to wait for version 8 because of hardware reasons.
Click to expand...
There's no "official" word out yet but you can already download the release ISOs ;)
 
I could get the iso and burn it, but I really need the handbook since I'm so new to freebsd. Has so little changed for installation, configuration, etc. that the current handbook will be more than sufficient for installation and configuration, at least until it gets updated?
 
Allamgir said:
I could get the iso and burn it, but I really need the handbook since I'm so new to freebsd. Has so little changed for installation, configuration, etc. that the current handbook will be more than sufficient for installation and configuration, at least until it gets updated?
Click to expand...

Current handbook is sufficient. All the commands and installation infomration works as it is under FreeBSD 8.0. So go ahead download both ISO and handbook.
 
FBSDin20Steps said:
Scroll down and look in the section "In the media" There is an article. That may answer your question.
Click to expand...

Oh, "Why FreeBSD 8 Won't Rewrite the Book"?

Thanks. I'm definitely going to get version 8 now. For a time I was considering slackware, but I kept waiting and now I've finally decided I want to use FreeBSD.

Hooray for UNIX!
 
I hope you get the meaning of "not rewriting the book", which has nothing to do with "the Handbook" ...
 
Yeah. If I understand correctly, it's saying version 8 won't be a huge shift in organization or thinking for the OS like Windows XP to Vista. It's more evolutionary than revolutionary.
 
The FreeBSD Handbook tries to match the most recent production release, which is currently 7.3 (and also 6.4, which will soon get deprecated). However, I believe most (if not all) is in sync with 8.0 as well.

There may be missing some undocumented features of 8.0 in the Handbook which might be worth of adding, and everyone is welcome to contribute to this greate piece of documentation!
 
Yup, the jail section in the Handbook needs to get updated for 8.0's new features.
 
How exactly do you contribute to the handbook? Obviously it's not like the ArchWiki where everyone can make final edits. If I write up a section and want it in, how do I go about doing that?

Edit: Never mind; I just found out how to do this from, guess what, the Handbook
 
Has the printing section been updated for modern times yet? Last time I read it it said USB printers should be avoided and to find one with a parallel port (?!) ...
 
The handbook is probably sufficient, however some of the better books out there are a couple of years old. I know I was using my copy of "The Complete FreeBSD" that was current on the 2.x branch with the 4.x releases without much trouble. And more recently I've been using "Absolute FreeBSD 2nd ed" from 2 years ago and it's still pretty much up to date.

For the most part, the really important things don't change a lot during the course of new versions. Sometimes things do change, but it's usually to make them more logical or because the previous way didn't really work very well. Like the changes to ifconfig in the new release.
 
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