Skip to content

TechRepublic

  • Top Products Lists
  • AI
  • Developer
  • Payroll
  • Security
  • Project Management
  • TechRepublic Academy
  • Innovation
  • Cheat Sheets
  • Cloud
  • 5G
  • Big Data
  • TechRepublic Premium
  • Top Products Lists
  • AI
  • Developer
  • Payroll
  • Security
  • Project Management
  • TechRepublic Academy
  • Innovation
  • Cheat Sheets
  • Cloud
  • 5G
  • Big Data
  • See All Topics
  • Sponsored
  • Newsletters
  • Forums
  • Resource Library
TechRepublic Premium
Join / Sign In
Enterprise Software

The old and new of BSD installers

By Chris Duckett January 16, 2012, 1:55 PM PST

Image
1
of 13

freebsd-boot.png
freebsd-boot.png
The old and new of BSD installers

ntDuring the past week, FreeBSD has hit its 9.0 release and PC-BSD followed soon after with its FreeBSD-based 9.0 release.
nt
ntFreeBSD takes the tried and tested method of having a text-based installer. Although this release contained a new installer called bsdinstall, it is very similar to the older sysinstall process.
nt
ntThis will be the only time I will say that I prefer the FreeBSD install to the PC-BSD installer, but ASCII art Beastie is a winner over PC-BSD’s boot screen that follows.

n

ntScreenshots: Chris Duckett/TechRepublic
ntCaptions: Chris Duckett/TechRepublic

nt 

The old and new of BSD installers

PC-BSD boot loader

PC-BSD boot loader

ntThe lack of ASCII art makes the PC-BSD installation media boot loader much less interesting. But this is remedied once the installation is complete.

The old and new of BSD installers

FreeBSD installer welcome

FreeBSD installer welcome

ntWelcome to the FreeBSD text installer. I hope blue is a thing for you, because you are about to see a lot of it.

The old and new of BSD installers

PC-BSD installer welcome

PC-BSD installer welcome

ntBy contrast, the PC-BSD installer shows a beautiful X-based process. This is still BSD, but not as you remember it.

The old and new of BSD installers

PC-BSD or FreeBSD?

PC-BSD or FreeBSD?

ntHere’s an added bonus from PC-BSD. Since it is FreeBSD based, there is no trouble to installing FreeBSD server from the same installation media.

The old and new of BSD installers

ntThis is how FreeBSD displays which distribution components to install.

The old and new of BSD installers

ntBy contrast, PC-BSD presents it in a better manner (oddly reminiscent of old Linux installers) and provides much more software to install. Installing an X server and desktop environment must be completed post-installation with FreeBSD.

The old and new of BSD installers

ntIt’s blue, again.

The old and new of BSD installers

ntPC-BSD allows a selection of ZFS filesystem.

The old and new of BSD installers

ntFreeBSD allows a selection of which services to start from within the installer.

The old and new of BSD installers

ntPC-BSD moves user creation into the installer, and it’s not bad except for the fact that the installer demands a Full Name of the user.

The old and new of BSD installers

ntText installer or not, watching a progress bar slowly tick over is boring in anyone’s language.

The old and new of BSD installers

ntDespite the pretty colours, watching a graphical progress bar is equally boring.

  • Enterprise Software
  • Account Information

    Share with Your Friends

    The old and new of BSD installers

    Your email has been sent

Share: The old and new of BSD installers
Image of Chris Duckett
By Chris Duckett
Some would say that it is a long way from software engineering to journalism, others would correctly argue that it is a mere 10 metres according to the floor plan. During his first five years with CBS Interactive, Chris started his journalistic adven
  • Account Information

    Contact Chris Duckett

    Your message has been sent

  • |
  • See all of Chris's content

TechRepublic Premium

  • TechRepublic Premium

    Checklist: Network and systems security

    Cybersecurity demands and the stakes of failing to properly secure systems and networks are high. While every organization’s specific security needs form a unique and complex blend of interconnected requirements, numerous security fundamentals almost always apply to each of these groups. It stands to reason that cybersecurity pros who effectively identify network and systems risks ...

    Published:  June 1, 2023, 4:00 PM EDT Modified:  June 2, 2023, 7:48 AM EDT Read More See more TechRepublic Premium
  • TechRepublic Premium

    How to host multiple websites on Linux with Apache

    In this guide from TechRepublic Premium we’re going to explore the various things you can do with a Linux server. We won’t leave out any steps, so you won’t have to refer to another tutorial to complete the process. The only step we will leave out is the installation of Linux, as we’ll assume you ...

    Downloads
    Published:  May 31, 2023, 4:00 PM EDT Modified:  June 1, 2023, 7:45 AM EDT Read More See more TechRepublic Premium
  • TechRepublic Premium

    How to deploy an application with Kubernetes

    If you want to deploy applications into a Kubernetes cluster, be warned — it’s not the easiest task. There are a lot of moving pieces that go into these scalable containers. Don’t you wish you had a complete roadmap, from start to finish, to walk you through the process of deploying the Kubernetes cluster, deploying ...

    Downloads
    Published:  May 31, 2023, 4:00 PM EDT Modified:  June 1, 2023, 7:51 AM EDT Read More See more TechRepublic Premium
  • TechRepublic Premium

    Cross-training tool kit

    The more flexibility you can create in your technology workforce, the better you’ll be equipped to manage tomorrow, whatever the future brings. Too often, we focus on helping our teams become technical specialists who know volumes about a single technology, but quickly lose sight of how that technology connects with others. This makes their skills ...

    Downloads
    Published:  May 30, 2023, 4:00 PM EDT Modified:  May 31, 2023, 4:50 PM EDT Read More See more TechRepublic Premium

Services

  • About Us
  • Newsletters
  • RSS Feeds
  • Site Map
  • Site Help & Feedback
  • FAQ
  • Advertise
  • Do Not Sell My Information

Explore

  • Downloads
  • TechRepublic Forums
  • Meet the Team
  • TechRepublic Academy
  • TechRepublic Premium
  • Resource Library
  • Photos
  • Videos
  • TechRepublic
  • TechRepublic on Twitter
  • TechRepublic on Facebook
  • TechRepublic on LinkedIn
  • TechRepublic on Flipboard
© 2023 TechnologyAdvice. All rights reserved.
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms of Use
  • Property of TechnologyAdvice