FreeBSD GUI, Gnome First

Today my goal was to get a GUI up and running on FreeBSD. Due to my own familiarity with it, I chose Gnome. The first thing you'll need to do is either compile from source, or use the package management system. I chose to go the package management route because it usually is quicker. The package required is gnome2, so I ran this command:

#pkg_add -r gnome2

This installs everything you'll need. I then attempted to start the GUI with startx but that didn't work, instead putting me into the basic X11 GUI. I then created a ~/.xinitrc file. I added the following line with the following command:

$echo "/usr/local/bin/gnome-session " > ~/.xinitrc

Then ran

$startx

This failed. I wasn't sure why, so I enabled gdm by editing the /etc/rc.conf file and adding

gdm_enable="YES"

and then rebooting. This time I got an error message, telling me some files were unable to be found. To combat that, I then did some googling and found the suggestion to add the following two lines to /etc/rc.conf

dbus_enable="YES"

hald_enable="YES"

and again rebooting. Like that I was into gnome! Next i'll be looking at getting kde installed.

FreeBSD, a cheaters way into BSD paradise

FreeBSD was explained to me as linux, but with a different mascot. Without going into that, I have started pushing myself to learn it, due to it being ZFS compatible. I'm debating switching from OpenSolaris to FreeBSD for my fileserver so that I can keep ZFS, but have a little bit more mature system. I'm not set on the switch, but researching my options.

One thing I've run into with FreeBSD is getting my user into the wheel group. This allows my normal user to su into root. As root, you must run

#pw user mod username -G wheel

Log out, log in, and poof kabam, you're ready to go. Look here for continuing tips for FreeBSD as I dive in.

OpenSolaris 2009.11, a Long Term Look

I've been using OpenSolaris 2009.06 for some time now. I have really enjoyed the feeling of security I get with all of my files hosted on my large-ish ZFS pool. However there have been some issues which I would like to bring up, and some other things I would like to compliment.

First, OpenSolaris has great package management software. I haven't found something yet that I'm unable to install except for high end scanner software for scanning film and slides. That cannot be blamed on OpenSolaris. Second, the minor differences in commands from ZFS and Linux are minimal enough that I had no issue learning OpenSolaris. Third, setup was quick and easy and I had a ZFS protected, secure Samba share going in my house in under 15 minutes on a fresh install.

Some of the issues I've come across are the difference in speed between OpenSolaris and Linux. OpenSolaris can be sluggish at times, especially when logging in to SSH. I've also had issues with the built in CIFS occasionally failing, whether due to the computers attaching to it, or the service itself. I installed Samba from source, but eventually went back to the CIFS for simplicity.

So these are some basic views on OpenSolaris after a few months of use. If you haven't tried it yet, I would suggest it as it was rather interesting if nothing more to try.

Comparing and Contrasting, OpenSolaris and Linux

Tuxradar has a great article talking about the differences between Linux and OpenSolaris, as well as talking about some of the better features of OpenSolaris. Check it out here.