my experience

[wonslung]

from kinfocenter in linux:

Vendor ID	0xbda	(Realtek Semiconductor Corp.)
Product ID	0x8187	(RTL8187 Wireless Adapter)
Revision	1.00

i just installed 8.0 in virtualbox, it is much faster than 7.2 regarding boot time, i can't install packages though..

sysinstall - configure - packages

Unable to get packages/INDEX file from seleted media.

also something is wrong with the up/down cursors, they skip choices and sometimes they don't move :/

i can tell you for sure that there is no rtl8187 driver yet.

my router is freebsd and the motherboard i used had that exact chip for the onboard wifi.

It doesn't work yet.

Just buy a cheap atheros 5x...they are like 10 bucks

 

[BeautifulFish]

ok take a look here:
http://www.freebsd.org/relnotes/CURRENT/hardware/support.html#WLAN

The urtw(4) driver supports Realtek RTL8187L based wireless network devices, including:

      Netgear WG111v2

      Safehome WLG-1500SMA5

      Shuttle XPC Accessory PN20

is that going to work with my device?

i am not sure i will be able to do that, this reminds me of when i first tried to install linux about 8 years ago or something, it didn't support my modem and the only suggestion was to buy a new one..

what happens then if i plug my digital camera and it didn't work? should i buy a new one? the same applies for nvidia graphics card, if FreeBSD amd64 don't have a nvidia driver then there is no way i am buying an ATI card or whatever that is currently supported, i will wait till it is supported, hopefully soon, until then i have to say that linux is a much better choice..

i read that wine is better in linux than it is for FreeBSD, VirtualBox isn't ready in FreeBSD yet, i mentioned the nvidia driver, maybe linux doesn't have a good support/software for my mobile phone, but i don't think that FreeBSD will be excel in that field now that it doesn't support my usb wireless that is being supported natively by windows and linux and probably by mac too.

here is another annoying bug, konsole runs only once then it can't be run again till i reboot.

 

[wonslung]

ok take a look here:
http://www.freebsd.org/relnotes/CURRENT/hardware/support.html#WLAN

The urtw(4) driver supports Realtek RTL8187L based wireless network devices, including:

      Netgear WG111v2

      Safehome WLG-1500SMA5

      Shuttle XPC Accessory PN20

is that going to work with my device?

i am not sure i will be able to do that, this reminds me of when i first tried to install linux about 8 years ago or something, it didn't support my modem and the only suggestion was to buy a new one..

what happens then if i plug my digital camera and it didn't work? should i buy a new one? the same applies for nvidia graphics card, if FreeBSD amd64 don't have a nvidia driver then there is no way i am buying an ATI card or whatever that is currently supported, i will wait till it is supported, hopefully soon, until then i have to say that linux is a much better choice..

i read that wine is better in linux than it is for FreeBSD, VirtualBox isn't ready in FreeBSD yet, i mentioned the nvidia driver, maybe linux doesn't have a good support/software for my mobile phone, but i don't think that FreeBSD will be excel in that field now that it doesn't support my usb wireless that is being supported natively by windows and linux and probably by mac too.

here is another annoying bug, konsole runs only once then it can't be run again till i reboot.

If you care about Nvidia support, run 32 bit, wine runs fine on 32 bit freebsd as well. Not all devices are going to be supported in freebsd OR linux, it's a fact of life. If all you care about is device driver support then windows is your best bet honestly.

If you want a stable system with a superior network stack and don't mind getting your hands somewhat dirty, then you can probably make it work for you...but if you want everything to work out of the box, and easily then you're going to be disapointed.

i thought that driver was a solaris driver?

 

[DrJ]

if FreeBSD amd64 don't have a nvidia driver

There are drivers that work for nVidia cards; the most useful probably is "nv". vesa also works. FWIW, the binary 64-bit nVidia driver is probably a month or two away.

VirtualBox isn't ready in FreeBSD yet

VBox is in the ports tree. It still has some bugs for some cases (it is very new), but usually it works very well.

FreeBSD ... doesn't support my usb wireless that is being supported natively by windows and linux and probably by mac too.

That may be, but FreeBSD does not support every device out there. It works for most things, but not all. I've no experience with wireless cards (I much prefer a hard-wired connection) so I cannot offer specific advice. I will say that purchasing an inexpensive wireless card is good. You know that will work.

If you really want support for all devices you might encounter, then FreeBSD is not for you. You have to choose your hardware to work right. If you do not wish to think about this, then Windows is a better bet. *Everything* works in Windows, more or less.

 

[BeautifulFish]

If you care about Nvidia support, run 32 bit, wine runs fine on 32 bit freebsd as well. Not all devices are going to be supported in freebsd OR linux, it's a fact of life. If all you care about is device driver support then windows is your best bet honestly.

If you want a stable system with a superior network stack and don't mind getting your hands somewhat dirty, then you can probably make it work for you...but if you want everything to work out of the box, and easily then you're going to be disapointed.

i thought that driver was a solaris driver?

well as i said earlier, i don't mind getting my hands dirty providing that everything will work eventually.

for example compositing isn't turned on in xorg but i didn't complain about that, i know i have to go and read about how to turn it on..

solaris? :S it is a FreeBSD 8.0 driver as far as i know

There are drivers that work for nVidia cards; the most useful probably is "nv". vesa also works. FWIW, the binary 64-bit nVidia driver is probably a month or two away.

VBox is in the ports tree. It still has some bugs for some cases (it is very new), but usually it works very well.

That may be, but FreeBSD does not support every device out there. It works for most things, but not all. I've no experience with wireless cards (I much prefer a hard-wired connection) so I cannot offer specific advice. I will say that purchasing an inexpensive wireless card is good. You know that will work.

If you really want support for all devices you might encounter, then FreeBSD is not for you. You have to choose your hardware to work right. If you do not wish to think about this, then Windows is a better bet. *Everything* works in Windows, more or less.

hello DrJ, thanks for participating

about nvidia driver, that is very good news a -ve thing being removed from my list lol

about VBox, again great news

lets hope for good wine under amd64


i preferred a wired connection too till i moved my pc to another room, wireless connection seems very convenient

10-20 bucks isn't inexpensive for me looking at what i earn now, especially that i already have a device doing the same job.

suggesting windows is almost insulting i really think windows is a bug, i am not looking for an OS to support ALL hardware, all i am saying is this:
FreeBSD is more or less similar to linux, if linux supports my hardware, how hard is it for FreeBSD to support it?


i am not following

 

[BeautifulFish]

take a look at this:
http://forums.pcbsd.org/viewtopic.php?f=27&t=5960
PostPosted: Mon Oct 23, 2006 9:45 am :\

my current questions:
1- FreeBSD 8.0 i386, does it solve the wireless usb driver issue?
2- if yes then what should i do to make it work?
3- how to remove debug options?
4- how to solve this error:

Unable to get packages/INDEX file from seleted media.

 

[wonslung]

take a look at this:
http://forums.pcbsd.org/viewtopic.php?f=27&t=5960
PostPosted: Mon Oct 23, 2006 9:45 am :\

my current questions:
1- FreeBSD 8.0 i386, does it solve the wireless usb driver issue?
2- if yes then what should i do to make it work?
3- how to remove debug options?
4- how to solve this error:

Unable to get packages/INDEX file from seleted media.

you can remove the debug options by recomiling the kernel, i THINK they are something like

makeoptions DEBUG=-g
options GDB
options DDB
options KDB

but i'm kinda new myself, i'm SURE it's in the handbook somewhere. just google kernel debug freebsd options or something.

If you really want to use freebsd as a newbie i REALLY wouldn't use 8.0, it is REALLY not for people who are new to freebsd, you should be using 7.2-release and MAYBE 7.2-stable if you're adventurous but not 8.0 That's more for people who have a high understanding of freebsd and want to help test it, theres also a part of the handbook that says basically that if i remember right.

If you really want to use freebsd, (which you should =)) you need to seriously consider finding hardware that works for freebsd.

it's a usb wifi card, i mean, get a cheap pci wifi card on newegg or even a used one on ebay for next to nothing.

24.5.1.2 Who Needs FreeBSD-CURRENT?

FreeBSD-CURRENT is made available for 3 primary interest groups:

1.

Members of the FreeBSD community who are actively working on some part of the source tree and for whom keeping “current” is an absolute requirement.
2.

Members of the FreeBSD community who are active testers, willing to spend time solving problems in order to ensure that FreeBSD-CURRENT remains as sane as possible. These are also people who wish to make topical suggestions on changes and the general direction of FreeBSD, and submit patches to implement them.
3.

Those who merely wish to keep an eye on things, or to use the current sources for reference purposes (e.g. for reading, not running). These people also make the occasional comment or contribute code.

24.5.1.3 What Is FreeBSD-CURRENT Not?

1.

A fast-track to getting pre-release bits because you heard there is some cool new feature in there and you want to be the first on your block to have it. Being the first on the block to get the new feature means that you are the first on the block to get the new bugs.
2.

A quick way of getting bug fixes. Any given version of FreeBSD-CURRENT is just as likely to introduce new bugs as to fix existing ones.
3.

In any way “officially supported”. We do our best to help people genuinely in one of the 3 “legitimate” FreeBSD-CURRENT groups, but we simply do not have the time to provide tech support. This is not because we are mean and nasty people who do not like helping people out (we would not even be doing FreeBSD if we were). We simply cannot answer hundreds messages a day and work on FreeBSD! Given the choice between improving FreeBSD and answering lots of questions on experimental code, the developers opt for the former.

from http://www.freebsd.org/doc/en_US.ISO8859-1/books/handbook/current-stable.html#CURRENT

 

[BeautifulFish]

thanks, i am recompiling it now in VBox
i commented

makeoptions DEBUG=-g

and the lines below:

#Debugging for use in -current

well i am running FreeBSD for the first time if i exclude running it in VBox, so i will make this as adventurous as possible lol after all i can always format and install any other version

i really wanna use FreeBSD, i wanna see that kind of stability everybody talks about, unfortunately till now all i can see is less hardware support and less software compatibility

maybe i will just move my pc to the other room lol this kind of decision can be made by a really adventurous user

lets hope FreeBSD supports my built-in ethernet card, buying a new motherboard is out of the question

 

[wonslung]

an argument could be made that there is more software compatibility, you're just using the wrong software.

My point is this: Freebsd can run all the freebsd stuff + much fo the linux binaries. You won't find the same level of support for SOME software because it's simply not as hot of a development hotbed as linux is. Stability and security come at a cost.

If you want hardware compatibility, then you can pick windows, if you want to use a *nix system that supports the most software, you can probably go with Debian. If you want *nix that supports 16 cpu's go with open solaris, see what i'm saying? each os has it's stregnths and weaknesses
you can't come in saying "i want to run freebsd but i expect it to use everything i already have AND run all the software i ALREADY run"

You need to set more realistic goals.

If you want to run freebsd, then you need to come in with the attitude that you will LEARN freebsd and find analogs for what you're used to. Don't expect it to run like windows, don't expect it to run like linux, don't expect it to run like solaris.

Expect it to run like FreeBSD

freebsd supports almost every normal ethernet card. Though, i prefer to switch mine out with Intel cards because they are soooooo much better than the realtek and marvel cards that come with most motherboards

 

[BeautifulFish]

an argument could be made that there is more software compatibility, you're just using the wrong software.

wrong software.. firefox 3? flash 9? wine? vbox?

so FreeBSD is compatible with software that nobody uses and isn't compatible with something like firefox 3! well then please support my realtek 8187 device because almost no one uses it!

My point is this: Freebsd can run all the freebsd stuff + much fo the linux binaries. You won't find the same level of support for SOME software because it's simply not as hot of a development hotbed as linux is. Stability and security come at a cost.

i am not saying FreeBSD is evil lol after all it was me who downloaded it and decided to use it on my desktop pc

If you want hardware compatibility, then you can pick windows, if you want to use a *nix system that supports the most software, you can probably go with Debian. If you want *nix that supports 16 cpu's go with open solaris, see what i'm saying? each os has it's stregnths and weaknesses
you can't come in saying "i want to run freebsd but i expect it to use everything i already have AND run all the software i ALREADY run"

You need to set more realistic goals.

who doesn't want hardware compatibility?? is it convenient to spend my hard earned money to buy a device that does the exact same job that my current device does?

windows supports most hardware, it runs most software, but it becomes very slow after a very few software installations, it has real security issues, running an antivirus/anti-adware makes the pc even slower, besides they don't protect from anything lol

it is my #1 choice for gaming though

linux supports less hardware, but it is now good enough for me because it supports my hardware, it didn't when i first tried it years ago

linux and bsd have very good software alternatives to windows which are sometimes better and sometimes much better "compiz"
also some software that run on windows are way better than the linux/bsd alternatives, but that is when VBox comes in..

i am being realistic, it is not like black or white..

my goal is:

i wanna run a stable/secure OS that supports MY hardware, runs most of the software i usually run or has similar alternatives..

windows:
hardware = yes
software = yes
security = no
package installation: you can install anything and cry later for breaking the OS

therefore it is of no use unless i wanna play a game

linux:
hardware = yes
software = yes [wine for photoshop CS4 and VBox for any other thing that must require windows ]
security = yes
package installation: dependency hell

currently i think it is the best choice

freebsd:
hardware = no "nvidia and wifi usb"
software = yes "providing wine and VBox are as good as in linux"
security = yes
package installation: hopefully better than linux

If you want to run freebsd, then you need to come in with the attitude that you will LEARN freebsd and find analogs for what you're used to. Don't expect it to run like windows, don't expect it to run like linux, don't expect it to run like solaris.

Expect it to run like FreeBSD

i found analogs for what i am used to when i first moved from windows to linux, i am willing to learn, but what is there to learn if my hardware isn't supported? or i can't browse a web page and see flash files? or i am forced to use gimp?

freebsd supports almost every normal ethernet card. Though, i prefer to switch mine out with Intel cards because they are soooooo much better than the realtek and marvel cards that come with most motherboards

well see how popular the wifi usb device is:
http://www.google.com/intl/en/#hl=en&q=realtek+8187

i would call this a normal piece of hardware too lol

the link i provided above for pcbsd forum proves this device has been there for about 3 years, yet it is not supported by bsd

 

[wonslung]

i'm sorry but freebsd runs firefox 3 just fine.
I'm using it right now on my laptop.

You want to have your cake and eat it to. It doesn't work like that in the real world.

Windows XP can be made to run decently well if you know what you're doing and don't load it full of garbage. I hate windows but it doesn't change the fact that XP isn't a TERRIBLE os these days.

IF you want to complain about hardware compatibility you can start with the manufacturers. The simple fact is most of them only support windows and have only recently added linux support, and even still most don't support linux. The only reason most of the other drivers/modules exist is through the hard work of people who USE the system and take thier own time to add it. Volunteer work, so it works like this:

If you want to run freebsd because it is superior you need to PICK HARDWARE THAT WORKS ON IT
I don't know how many times someone needs to say it before you understand. It's just a simple fact. I'm not trying to be mean, but maybe it's just not for you...you need to make a list of what's most important to you and decide what you can live with and what you can't.

that realtek card is about 10-20 bucks, it's dirt cheap for the same price or less you can find one that works on freebsd.
I don't know how else to put it.

I'm using FIREFOX3
I'm using FLASH
and
i'm on freebsd 7.2 amd 64
it's PERFECTLY POSSIBLE
i gave you the link on how to do that.

The fact of the matter is it IS NOT a piece of highly supported software in most systems.

The entire usb code base wasn't supported for a long time. Its getting better every day but you're just going to have to bite the bullet OR WAIT TILL IT IS SUPPORTED

atheros is a better choice for freebsd
works on all my freebsd machines
Atheros for wifi, intel for nics, that's the way i roll baby

 

[BeautifulFish]

it is ok if you like windows, i don't lol

i know the manufacturers are to blame, but you gotta admit the linux guys are one step ahead.

i am not sure FreeBSD is superior, i haven't used it much to judge it, i wanna use it, that is why i am here

ok whenever i have extra money i will think about buying a new wifi usb, there is no point in arguing, obiously that won't make FreeBSD magically support the device.

it is good to know that you are running FF3 and "hopefully flash 9", firefox 2 is the one i found on the 7.2 DVD

i think i will wait till it is supported, this was me finally installing FreeBSD, i have waited for months to have some free time to do that, unfortunately i don't think it is ready for my desktop pc, if it was it would support my hardware and the amd64 would support software like wine, wine is not evil too, it can be installed on i386.

 

[SirDice]

it is good to know that you are running FF3 and "hopefully flash 9", firefox 2 is the one i found on the 7.2 DVD

FF3 works fine, Flash 9 works fine.

www/firefox
www/linux-flashplugin9
If you want native freebsd flash support, go nag Adobe.

unfortunately i don't think it is ready for my desktop pc, if it was it would support my hardware

I've been using FreeBSD as a desktop and as a server for more then a decade. I buy hardware I know is supported.

 

[wonslung]

it is ok if you like windows, i don't lol

i know the manufacturers are to blame, but you gotta admit the linux guys are one step ahead.

i am not sure FreeBSD is superior, i haven't used it much to judge it, i wanna use it, that is why i am here

ok whenever i have extra money i will think about buying a new wifi usb, there is no point in arguing, obiously that won't make FreeBSD magically support the device.

it is good to know that you are running FF3 and "hopefully flash 9", firefox 2 is the one i found on the 7.2 DVD

i think i will wait till it is supported, this was me finally installing FreeBSD, i have waited for months to have some free time to do that, unfortunately i don't think it is ready for my desktop pc, if it was it would support my hardware and the amd64 would support software like wine, wine is not evil too, it can be installed on i386.

one of the best thing about freebsd is the ports tree.

firefox3 is there.
if you had read my post you'd know i do not like windows.
yes, flash 9. and flash 10 will also work.

it depends on what your goal is as to whether or not freebsd is superior.

For stability and security, it's amazing. For jails, it's every better.
For desktop software, it's doable, though i do not see desktop use as a top priority for freebsd. It works well for me, much better than linux.

 

[BeautifulFish]

thanks guys, it was a good experiment that i needed to do..

i hope i wasn't annoying and i hope no one suffered a stroke lol

i will wait for the amd64 nvidia driver and for a driver for my usb wifi, hopefully that will be in August with the release of 8.0, right? there is no need to hurry then

some questions regarding software "providing i move the pc to the other room to test them "

i use cairo-dock, does it work in FreeBSD?

what is equivalent to gentoo's x11-plugins/purple-plugin_pack? it is a package for various pidgin plugins

where is the package for murmur server? i can only find mumble client

where is virtualbox-guest-additions?

where is IcePHP?

does ventrilo-server work in FreeBSD amd64?

is there a way to run teamspeak_server on FreeBSD amd64?

 

[DrJ]

i don't think it is ready for my desktop pc, if it was it would support my hardware and the amd64 would support software like wine, wine is not evil too, it can be installed on i386.

Right now a FreeBSD desktop works better in the 32-bit version. There are a lot of important changes coming in 8-RELEASE (now -CURRENT), particularly for the 64-bit area. It is nearing release, so it is more stable than it often is.

And you still have it backwards. You cannot choose any hardware and expect FreeBSD to support it. I've never had any issues with hardware support, but I check the hardware notes first.

FreeBSD supports most of what Linux does (hardware and software) but its development model is different, it has far fewer developers and far less money. Linux also has the active support of a number of major commercial vendors. FreeBSD doesn't. In spite of that (or, in some cases *becasue* of it) the system is cleaner, more stable and more responsive than Linux in my experience.

For ports availability, see the main FreeBSD web site and select ports. It a port is available, you will find it there. If you don't it does not exist. Sometimes doing the port yourself is not that hard. I've ported the troff preprocessor "chem", the old Unix "learn" program, and the electronic lab notebook "ELN" (from PNNL) to FreeBSD myself. Those are not in the ports tree.

The VBox guest additions need to be moved to its proper location. I don't remember the details at the moment, but this was discussed on the -emulation mailing list. Have a look there. You can get to the lists from the main FreeBSD page.

 

[BeautifulFish]

Right now a FreeBSD desktop works better in the 32-bit version. There are a lot of important changes coming in 8-RELEASE (now -CURRENT), particularly for the 64-bit area. It is nearing release, so it is more stable than it often is.

i downloaded it to give it a try, i won't use it as my main OS as adviced, i will be looking forward for its official release

And you still have it backwards. You cannot choose any hardware and expect FreeBSD to support it. I've never had any issues with hardware support, but I check the hardware notes first.

i didn't have FreeBSD in mind when i purchased my hardware, it is a popular device where i am and i thought every OS will support it, on the other hand FreeBSD should put desktop users in its mind

FreeBSD supports most of what Linux does (hardware and software) but its development model is different, it has far fewer developers and far less money. Linux also has the active support of a number of major commercial vendors. FreeBSD doesn't. In spite of that (or, in some cases *becasue* of it) the system is cleaner, more stable and more responsive than Linux in my experience.

i played with it for a while in the past hours after connecting it to the internet using a wire, i am starting to feel it is really more stable than linux
i am not sure if i can get compiz to work in amd64 without the nvidia driver, i didn't try enough, i will wait for the driver..

For ports availability, see the main FreeBSD web site and select ports. It a port is available, you will find it there. If you don't it does not exist. Sometimes doing the port yourself is not that hard. I've ported the troff preprocessor "chem", the old Unix "learn" program, and the electronic lab notebook "ELN" (from PNNL) to FreeBSD myself. Those are not in the ports tree.

regarding cairo-dock:
there are some ports that have the word "cairo", maybe cairo-dock is one of them? maybe someone tried installing it from its source? that is why i asked.

i found icephp, it is called php5-ice in freebsd

there are many ports for pidgin, it is strange that purple-plugin_pack "collection of plugins" isn't in the ports.

it is weird that i can't find murmur but can find mumble, murmur is a server and mumble is a voip client that connects to murmur

regarding ventrilo-server:
http://www.freshports.org/audio/ventrilo-server/

put ventrilo_srv-3.0.3-FreeBSD-[B]i386[/B].tar.gz into /usr/ports/distfiles

does that mean it doesn't work for amd64?

The VBox guest additions need to be moved to its proper location. I don't remember the details at the moment, but this was discussed on the -emulation mailing list. Have a look there. You can get to the lists from the main FreeBSD page.

thanks, i will take a look i hope it will be ported soon too

 

[wonslung]

man, you just don't get it.
usb devices in general are often the LAST to be supported. Even in linux, those drivers just didn't exist right away. Freebsd has EXCELENT hardware support, you want to cry about support, try running solaris...which is an amazing os in it's own right but has even LESS hardware support.

Maybe you didn't think about freebsd when you bought your hardware but you're talking about a 10 dollar piece of equiptment, if you can't spend 10-20 bucks on a proper wifi card for an otherwise FREE os then you should stick with windows.

 

[DrJ]

it is a popular device where i am and i thought every OS will support it, on the other hand FreeBSD should put desktop users in its mind

Hey, my WinModem is a popular device. Why is it not supported in Linux?

FreeBSD development primarily supports the server marketplace. There are many who do use it as a desktop, but it really is not oriented that way. It takes a lot of work to set up and maintain. We think it is worth it. PC-BSD is a packaging of FreeBSD that is desktop-oriented. You may want to give that a try.

There is one "gotcha" for i386 and the nVidia driver that you should be aware of. If you are using more than 3GB memory, you have to select the proper option in your BIOS to prevent memory mapping into the top GB of memory. You may also be able to set a device hint ("machdep.disable_mtrrs=1" to /boot/loader.conf).

ventrilo-server:
http://www.freshports.org/audio/ventrilo-server/

put ventrilo_srv-3.0.3-FreeBSD-[B]i386[/B].tar.gz into /usr/ports/distfiles

does that mean it doesn't work for amd64?

You can run i386 under amd64. I'll leave it to others to describe how to do this.

i hope it [GuestAdditions] will be ported soon too

It is ported; it just does not install in the proper directory.

 

[wonslung]

Like i said, you seem to want to have your cake and eat it to.

 

[Oko]

the amd64 would support software like wine, wine is not evil too, it can be installed on i386.

I do want to comment on couple valid/invalid technical issues that has been raised.

You keep talking about amd64. I happen to be OpenBSD user which
has full 64 bit support. As a matter of fact OpenBSD was one of
original platforms on which amd64 has been tested and OpenBSD had the access to product before it was originally released.
I personally have run amd64 on two desktops and I switch them back to i386 due to the well-known penalization in performance.
Unless your applications are fully written for 64 bit mode you will be actually penalized by using amd64. Most applications are
not written for 64 bit mode. That is just a fact of the life

You point about Wine shows lack of any technical knowledge. Wine is 32 bit translation layer (a program loader) capable of running Windows applications. A 32 bit not 64 bit!!!
The proper way of installing Wine on AMD64 would be in 32 bit chroot (sandbox) environment. Everything else is a cheap PR hack. FreeBSD nor any other BSD to my knowledge at this point have working implementation of 32 bit chroot on amd64. Wine is very dangerous since it does require option USER_LDT in kernel which is very serious security risk. No sane operating system targeting server market will ship with that option in Generic kernel.


Issue of flashplugin has been discussed to death before. I will repeat the fact. Flash is proprietary technology developed originally by Micromadia which is acquired by Adobe. Unless the
owner of the software has monetary incentive to port Flash to new architecture the port will not happen. If you want native
Flash on FreeBSD be ready to pay for it. Solaris version of Flash has been fully paid by SUN. Linux version was paid by Linux corporate sponsors. I honestly by any stretch of imagination can not see how that makes Linux better operating system than BSDs even that might be true based on technical merits.

Firefox? What Firefox. This is my version.

$ pkg_info mozilla-firefox
Information for inst:mozilla-firefox-3.0.11

I actually had it installed on OpenBSD 4.5 stable tree days before official binary releases for Windows, OS X, and Linux
since source code was available earlier.

What else? FreeBSD doesn't run your favorite video game? So what?

 

[wonslung]

yah, it really is crazy how many people try a *nix system and think that because it can't have all the pros people talk about AND do everything windows does at the same time, that it's seriously flawed.

There is no such thing as a perfect os for everything.

All have stregnths and weaknesses. Another thing to understand about freebsd, and this is coming from a newb to freebsd, is this:

Freebsd is primarily maintained/writen by people who are power users. It shows in most of the logical set up for the system. Personally its one of the things i love about the system. I used linux for 2-3 years before switching to Freebsd and i've honestly learned more in the first 2 weeks of using freebsd than i did in the first 2 years of linux. Linux seems to take extra care to make things "user friendly" but more and more it becomes apparently that "user friendly" doesn't REALLY mean user friendly.

An example of this is that people consider a GUI file manager to be "user friendly" but using cpio or piped tar commands to move files is much much more "user friendly" to me because it gets the job done quicker.

every day i use freebsd i learn something new...can you say the same thing about windows or even mac osx?

 

[DutchDaemon]

(the resulting 32-bit vs 64-bit discussion has been split off and moved to http://forums.freebsd.org/showthread.php?t=4916)

 

[BeautifulFish]

man, you just don't get it.
usb devices in general are often the LAST to be supported. Even in linux, those drivers just didn't exist right away. Freebsd has EXCELENT hardware support, you want to cry about support, try running solaris...which is an amazing os in it's own right but has even LESS hardware support.

Maybe you didn't think about freebsd when you bought your hardware but you're talking about a 10 dollar piece of equiptment, if you can't spend 10-20 bucks on a proper wifi card for an otherwise FREE os then you should stick with windows.

i DO get it
how would that post of yours be of any help to me??
no, FreeBSD does NOT have excellent hardware support, excellent means it would have supported my usb wifi device.
you already told me about buying a new wifi card, i WON'T.

if you really wanna help then help me make this device work, otherwise you are just defending FreeBSD, meanwhile i am not attacking it, i am trying to learn about it and use it.

Like i said, you seem to want to have your cake and eat it to.

you should get something to eat, you sound hungry

yah, it really is crazy how many people try a *nix system and think that because it can't have all the pros people talk about AND do everything windows does at the same time, that it's seriously flawed.

again a useless post, i hope you are not referring to me because i don't run windows.

There is no such thing as a perfect os for everything.

you already said that.

All have stregnths and weaknesses. Another thing to understand about freebsd, and this is coming from a newb to freebsd, is this:

Freebsd is primarily maintained/writen by people who are power users. It shows in most of the logical set up for the system. Personally its one of the things i love about the system. I used linux for 2-3 years before switching to Freebsd and i've honestly learned more in the first 2 weeks of using freebsd than i did in the first 2 years of linux. Linux seems to take extra care to make things "user friendly" but more and more it becomes apparently that "user friendly" doesn't REALLY mean user friendly.

An example of this is that people consider a GUI file manager to be "user friendly" but using cpio or piped tar commands to move files is much much more "user friendly" to me because it gets the job done quicker.

every day i use freebsd i learn something new...can you say the same thing about windows or even mac osx?

good, i learned a lot from using linux and i am willing to learn more from using FreeBSD.

Hey, my WinModem is a popular device. Why is it not supported in Linux?

linux guys aren't paying me to say that linux is better or something lol linux supports my usb wifi device and i just hope it will be supported on FreeBSD as well

FreeBSD development primarily supports the server marketplace. There are many who do use it as a desktop, but it really is not oriented that way. It takes a lot of work to set up and maintain. We think it is worth it. PC-BSD is a packaging of FreeBSD that is desktop-oriented. You may want to give that a try.

i gave PC-BSD a try before i trying FreeBSD, quite frankly it was buggy, i didn't like the PBI idea, also downloaded PBIs didn't work, i hope it will be better in the future..

i do like however the kind of stability FreeBSD offers, that is why i gave the real thing a try..

There is one "gotcha" for i386 and the nVidia driver that you should be aware of. If you are using more than 3GB memory, you have to select the proper option in your BIOS to prevent memory mapping into the top GB of memory. You may also be able to set a device hint ("machdep.disable_mtrrs=1" to /boot/loader.conf).

You can run i386 under amd64. I'll leave it to others to describe how to do this.

It is ported; it just does not install in the proper directory.

thanks, good info

You point about Wine shows lack of any technical knowledge. Wine is 32 bit translation layer (a program loader) capable of running Windows applications. A 32 bit not 64 bit!!!

well someone with more technical knowledge can call you technically ignorant.
i understand that:

Wine is 32 bit translation layer (a program loader)

what i meant was that it can be run on amd64 linux versions.

The proper way of installing Wine on AMD64 would be in 32 bit chroot (sandbox) environment. Everything else is a cheap PR hack. FreeBSD nor any other BSD to my knowledge at this point have working implementation of 32 bit chroot on amd64. Wine is very dangerous since it does require option USER_LDT in kernel which is very serious security risk. No sane operating system targeting server market will ship with that option in Generic kernel.

now that was helpful, better than accusing each other of being ignorant.

Issue of flashplugin has been discussed to death before. I will repeat the fact. Flash is proprietary technology developed originally by Micromadia which is acquired by Adobe. Unless the
owner of the software has monetary incentive to port Flash to new architecture the port will not happen. If you want native
Flash on FreeBSD be ready to pay for it. Solaris version of Flash has been fully paid by SUN. Linux version was paid by Linux corporate sponsors. I honestly by any stretch of imagination can not see how that makes Linux better operating system than BSDs even that might be true based on technical merits.

thanks for the info, luckily it was good to know that there is a way to view flash in FreeBSD.

Firefox? What Firefox. This is my version.

$ pkg_info mozilla-firefox
Information for inst:mozilla-firefox-3.0.11

I actually had it installed on OpenBSD 4.5 stable tree days before official binary releases for Windows, OS X, and Linux
since source code was available earlier.

i already know that firefox 3 is ported, why isn't it in the DVD? i don't even wanna know.

What else? FreeBSD doesn't run your favorite video game? So what?

who said anything about video games??

 

[vivek]

usb devices in general are often the LAST to be supported. Even in linux, those drivers just didn't exist right away

What you talking about? Linux was one the first to have USB 2.0 and USB 3.0 (newer) support. Even windows don't have USB 3.0 support. However, you are right about all those cheap usb devices, drivers may be issue.