Another Pointless Endeavour

Posted 08-06-2015 at 04:10 AM by Randicus Draco Albus

(Arch users might want to skip to the end and start yelling at me without reading my rant.)

While searching for something BSD-related recently, I accidentally stumbled upon Arch BSD. I knew doing a little research was a bad idea, but curiosity got the better of me. Their website, especially the forum, was very illuminating.

What is the mindset behind this project?

Quote:

So this is ... just "FreeBSD + pacman + different init"?

The answer?

Quote:

Also ArchLinux is just GNU+Linux+pacman+different init.
It's a distribution, not an OS, like OpenBSD or NetBSD.

Really? When did BSD systems become distributions? Reminds me of Linux users calling directories "folders". Not a good start, but being an intrepid masochist, I carry on.

Wonderful discussions about the OS's potential. People who find FreeBSD is too difficult to install and configure, joyously anticipating Arch BSD will help them get started with BSD. I would have thought PC, Ghost or Desktop BSD would be better choices for an introduction, but apparently I was wrong. Or mayhap 'tis because the packages are too old. After all, BSD's reputation for solid systems is based to a large degree on a conservative philosophy of preferring quality applications over new and buggy ones. Software more than a few months old? No sane person would want to use such antiquated software!

And of course the usual nonsense about FreeBSD being for servers and not for desktops. (How many clueless people make that claim every month on the internet?) So Arch BSD will fill the yawning chasm in the world of BSD. It will be FreeBSD for the desktop. Ignoring the fact that the server/desktop claim is a heaping pile of steaming dung, my mind travels back to the pre-configured FreeBSDs: Ghost, PC, Desktop, etc. What is wrong with them? They are meant to be beginner ("user-friendly") systems for desktop use. Oh. That's right. The packages are too old.

Is there no end to utterly pointless endeavours? I realise people need hobbies, but really!

Posted in Uncategorized

Views 3531 Comments 11

« Prev Main Next »

Total Comments 11

Comments

	Regarding the "latest and greatest" software version (yes, it's old, but like BSD packages, still strangely relevant): http://i.imgur.com/HTisMpC.jpg
	Posted 08-06-2015 at 10:07 AM by rocket357

For many persons, "because you can" is all the reason they need.

Posted 08-06-2015 at 03:45 PM by frankbell

I have nothing against people doing things, because they can, as a hobby. Trying to combine two systems as a learning experience might even be useful, but trying to create a hybrid as a serious project to fill an imaginary gap in the computer landscape is another matter. I would disagree, but would understand, if someone wanted to create a new BSD system on the Arch model: rolling release for computer hobbyists. But replacing FreeBSD's package management tools with Arch's strikes me as utterly pointless.

Posted 08-06-2015 at 07:04 PM by Randicus Draco Albus Randicus Draco Albus is offline

	(Grin) I nearly added something to the effect that "doing something in order to learn" is worthwhile reason for doing something, but I couldn't word it to my satisfaction. Oh, well, it will get sorted. The Linux landscape, for example, is littered with defunct distros that someone once thought were good ideas.
	Posted 08-06-2015 at 08:46 PM by frankbell

"Really? When did BSD systems become distributions?"

I understood these were being referred as OSs/not-distros in the preceding quotation.

...I used to call directories "directories" ever since DOS had it, but sometime along the way it seems to have becamo synonymous with "folders", and in the pre-google era of "search engines" I thought there was some ambiguity when speaking of "directories", so I almost use "folders" nowadays.

Posted 08-10-2015 at 12:14 AM by the dsc the dsc is offline

"Folders" is one of those Windowisms that have become infused in the minds of the masses. Another one is "document". Unfortunately, most people who use Windows terminology do so, because they move from Windows to "beginner" Linux systems without "bothering" to learn anything about their new systems. They believe Windows terminology is computer terminology. But those are the people Linux caters to, so no surprise.

Quote:

I understood these were being referred as OSs/not-distros in the preceding quotation.

It is possible the person meant neither a distribution nor an OS, but then what is it?

Posted 08-10-2015 at 02:19 AM by Randicus Draco Albus Randicus Draco Albus is offline

Geeks are fun for this rough and tumble user to hang around and learn new things in his limited way.

Would sure like to teleport to http://hackaday.com/2015/08/11/chaos...p-2015-teaser/

Quote:

Its time to break out the tent and go camping

Need some cooler bicycling weather.

Code:

$ inxi -W  79772
Weather:   Conditions: 100 F (38 C) - Clear Time: August 13, 7:48 PM CDT

oh, the arch bsd thing? I am stuck on a gig of updates on my Wifes Windows 7 laptop with all her work gear on it. Actually more than a gig. 587MB and only 39 percent complete. She had updates turned off and asked if I could try and get Windows 10 on her laptop.

I'm headed to the dog house and sleeping on the ground if I screw the pooch on this update. All her work files are on this rig and there is no backup or reinstall media or recovery section that I know of.

I'm screwed. Now there is a pointless endeavor for ya.

Posted 08-13-2015 at 07:53 PM by rokytnji rokytnji is offline

Updated 08-13-2015 at 07:58 PM by rokytnji

	I would not want to ride a bicycle here: 100F and very humid. Peddling a bicycle would be most uncomfortable. Riding the scooter is nice though. Wonderful breeze! You should have told her Windows 10 is a pointless endeavour and pretended to be drunk.
	Posted 08-14-2015 at 04:14 AM by Randicus Draco Albus

Now it's called "PacBSD". I can't really see the point, but I agree that they're free to do what they like. FreeBSD has a package manager and doesn't really need "pacman" or the GNU userland for that matter. Linux users, tend to want Linux and FreeBSD users will always use FreeBSD - so who's this for? No idea to be honest - at a guess, I'd say it's for the people developing it.

I actually thought Debian's GNU/kFreeBSD was a decent idea - especially as a stable release, but has mostly been shot down in flames by the "why bother?" crowd and the Debian systemd cabal. It was in an unenviable position from day one however, as it's largely dismissed by the FreeBSD camp and ignored by Linux users - that makes it as a obscure as PacBSD. In reality these things would work better as smaller projects with a handful of people (like Slackware - I'm surprised no one has ever forked and FreeBSD'ised that) and limited number of packages.

Posted 10-23-2015 at 05:52 AM by cynwulf cynwulf is offline

Quote:

Now it's called "PacBSD".

The package manager or the OS? If that is the name of the OS, it is too close to PCBSD. Something like PmanBSD would be better.

Quote:

I actually thought Debian's GNU/kFreeBSD was a decent idea

It was definitely interesting.

Quote:

In reality these things would work better as smaller projects with a handful of people (like Slackware - I'm surprised no one has ever forked and FreeBSD'ised that) and limited number of packages.

Maybe systemd will result in Patrick doing just that.

Posted 10-23-2015 at 08:41 AM by Randicus Draco Albus Randicus Draco Albus is offline

The 'OS'. http://pacbsd.org/

Yes kFreeBSD was interesting, but like PacBSD it's a niche thing. Doesn't mean they can't work on it though...

If we look at the history of a given OS, it looks like things just happened by accident. i.e. things just happened and someone was in the right place at the right time to take advantage. e.g. if it hadn't been for the lawsuits going on regarding BSD in the early 90's Linux might not have come about. If it hadn't been for CP/M and the situation with the PC and IBM there probably wouldn't have been a Microsoft. One day a few people might cobble together a "mongrel" of sorts and it could be 'the future'.

Patrick will probably carry on as he always has. I can see him adopting just systemd before he'd do that. It's a Linux distribution after all and that's the direction in which Linux is headed.

Posted 10-25-2015 at 04:37 PM by cynwulf cynwulf is offline

Updated 10-25-2015 at 04:39 PM by cynwulf