Re: Best way to switch from Linux to BSD

--On March 29, 2011 2:37:07 PM -0500 Adam Vande More=20
<amvandemore@gmail.com> wrote:

>
> On Tue, Mar 29, 2011 at 2:11 PM, Paul Schmehl <pschmehl_lists@tx.rr.com>
> wrote:
>
> Go to Youtube and see if you can watch a video. =C2=A0Ubuntu does it out =
of
> the box. =C2=A0FreeBSD only does it after you tweak and tweak and tweak =
and
> google and google and google.
>
>
> Or just follow the instructions.=C2=A0 If people really find that =
difficult
> I'm not sure any OS is going to be the answer long term.=C2=A0 If you do
> enough computer use you'll have to follow instructions at some point.
>
> http://www.freebsd.org/doc/en_US.ISO8859-1/books/handbook/desktop-browser
> s.html
>

Imagine that.  And yet you can find numerous posts in questions from people =

who struggle with it.  Must be stupid people then, huh?

> Java is a different matter.=C2=A0 Handbook should be updated to use the =
iced
> tea plugin since the other java plugin doesn't work on new FF plus it's
> other deficiencies.
>

At least you're willing to admit there have been some deficiencies....

> Comparing Ubuntu and FreeBSD is a false choice and if you want a rough
> equivalent of ubuntu, use PCBSD.=C2=A0 I don't agree with what you say is =
so
> hard, but there are options to take most of that overhead away.

Can we at least agree that the OP found it hard?  Could we further agree=20
that he's not the first one to encounter problems?

Sure FreeBSD isn't hard for those of us who have used it for years, but=20
seriously, to expect a newbie to just roll the OS out, get a desktop up and =

running, install a functional flash and java without encountering any=20
difficult issues is a bit unrealistic, don't you think?

As I stated in another reply, I just got tired of the hassle of constantly=20
having to fix things that were working fine before I ran portupgrade.  And=20
I gave up on flash.  It simply did not work.  I just installed VirtualBox=20
and ran Windows 7 in it.

I finally asked myself why I was wasting my valuable time trying to get and =

maintain functionality that "just worked" on the Mac.  The answer was, stop =

wasting your time.

Again, this is *not* a knock on FreeBSD, but there is a world of difference =

between installing an OS that runs a window display system (like Xorg) and=20
a DM (like KDE) and flash and java and all the things that I am forced to=20
use for my work out of the box and installing all those ports and=20
maintaining them and fixing the problems that inevitably occur.

That's why my desktop OS is now a Mac.  Because when I have to attend a=20
meeting using Adobe Connect (which I will doing next week), I can't do that =

in a FreeBSD desktop without a *lot* of work and tweaking, if at all.  When =

I need to do a remote session with a vendor to fix yet-another-problem on a =

stupid Windows server, I need Java to work flawlessly with Go To My PC.  It =

may or may not do that on FreeBSD.  No, it's not FreeBSD's "fault", but who =

really gives a damn when it needs to work?

And, after all, isn't that the OP's complaint?

--=20
Paul Schmehl, Senior Infosec Analyst
As if it wasn't already obvious, my opinions
are my own and not those of my employer.
*******************************************
"It is as useless to argue with those who have
renounced the use of reason as to administer
medication to the dead." Thomas Jefferson
"There are some ideas so wrong that only a very
intelligent person could believe in them." George Orwell

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