Feature request for consideration for FreeBSD

L. Cranswick L.M.D.Cranswick at dl.ac.uk
Mon Jul 3 10:07:11 BST 2000


I am stuck on a visit to London so won't be able to make
it to Oxford.  But if the powers that be are going to 
be present - a few feature requests for FreeBSD.

The main thing based around these queries is if
anyone is comparing various Linux distributions
and how they install and update to FreeBSD as a 
guide to possible updates for usability?  As while
FreeBSD has a very nice installer - it seems to lack
some of the features that can make it very hard to
push over Linux to "novice" users.

Two mains ones:

-----

Based on Redhat and other Linux distributions (Mandrake 7) -
might it be possible to add a feature into FreeBSD that
during install of X, FreeBSD installer can detect what 
graphics card is present, download the optimal version 
of X and configure it in the way that the Redhat 6.2 "text" 
based installer does.

----

Mandrake 7 Linux has a very nice "updates" feature (better
than other versions of Linux I have seen) which at the
press of a button - goes to a web/ftp site - checks what
installed programs have been updated (and why they have
been updated) - and prompts the administrator if they
wish to update.

Given the FreeBSD installer is very slick for network based
installs - could there (is there already?) be an option
in the sysinstall program to check for updated/patched
programs and then to download/install them?

Lachlan.

-- 
Lachlan M. D. Cranswick

Collaborative Computational Project No 14 (CCP14)
    for Single Crystal and Powder Diffraction
Daresbury Laboratory, Warrington, WA4 4AD U.K
Tel: +44-1925-603703  Fax: +44-1925-603124
E-mail: l.cranswick at dl.ac.uk  Ext: 3703  Room C14
                           http://www.ccp14.ac.uk





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