LinuxQuestions.org - Here is help for New FreeBSD users, info, links

Xterm is the default windows mgr for a startx command.

If you installed All, or User with graphic enviro "X", then KDE and GNOME will be installed.
If you want to start KDE then on a new install as root enter

Code:

#kdm

That will get you to the KDE display manager where you can log into your KDE environment.
Before you have set up sudo you'll have to open KDM as root. That means you'll have to login as root enter kdm then log into KDE as a user. You'll have to create a user first.

If you want to be able to su to root in a konsole to do things, or open konqueror or an editor as root, you'll have to make the user that you are logged in as part of the wheel group. Look at the man page for adduser.

Code:

man adduser

To keep from having to log on as root, which is unsafe, look at the man page for sudo.

Don't give up to easily on this. FreeBSD is the stablest, fastest, solidest operating system that I have ever used on a PC. It is not Linux. Although the desktop enviros look the same, and you can run most of the same software on it as Linux, the config files are in a different place, and BSD does things a little different.

Firefox, Mplayer, RealPlayer, Abiword, Evolution, Thunderbird, Kmail, Editors, Compilers, Graphic applications, CD burning, FTP, Download mgrs, Xmms, K3B, .pdf readers. Gimp, IM clients, ect.
All the software that you need to run a rich productive desktop is avail for FreeBSD as packages

Code:

#pkg_add yourpackage.tbz

ftp://ftp.freebsd.org/pub/FreeBSD/po...s-5.4-release/
Those are for 5.4 as you can see

or you can install the ports collection and install everyting off the internet with a simple

Code:

#pkg_add -r packagename

To find the package that you want to install simply do a

Code:

whereis firefox

and you'll get the location of the port.

Installing software on FreeBSD is easier than any distro of Linux, or as easy as. Ports will install the app, resolve all dependencies, even will install Linux versions of apps like RealPlayer without a hitch, if you have Linux binary compat installed.

Do yourself a favor, get the handbook and print it out if you can . I know its 905 pages. But reading that great documentation will answer 99% of all your questions. You don't have to hunt the internet and forums for answers like you do for Linux.
http://www.freebsd.org/doc/en_US.ISO...ook/index.html
ftp://ftp.freebsd.org/pub/FreeBSD/doc/handbook/

I'm not bashing Linux here. I love Fedora, Centos, Slackware, Vector. My point is that Free BSD has GREAT documentation, and is a rock solid stable platform, no network stalls so that you have to issue ifdown and ifup all the time, has a great installer and setup utilities, and will turn an old PII into a real usable machine again. If you are going to run a heavy graphic envirop then put in 256MB or > RAM. If you are running a CLI machine 64MB will be just fine.

Good luck to all of you.