It seems that PC-BSD has set a trend. "DesktopBSD aims at being a stable and powerful operating system for desktop users. DesktopBSD combines the stability of FreeBSD, the usability and functionality of KDE and the simplicity of specially developed software to provide a system that's easy to use and install." How this new BSD distribution stacks up against PC-BSD remains to be seen.
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Member since:I don't see what's so cool about PC-BSDs package management? "Konvalo" and "Zero Install" were there before and they work for Linux and the BSDs now!
So I went to take look and Konvalo and Zero Install.
You are just spreading disinformation.
They have very little to do with PBI:
1) First let me say that it's hard to discover what konvalo does, since the documentation is soo bad.
2) They both assume a custom repository, and that people will just think that their solution is great, to the point of, say, stop using ports to start using Konvalo. Maybe an easy sell for Debian. Not for a ports user (14000 in FreeBSD)
3) All use the command line. PBI aims, in the end, at point and click.
4) Here's what Zero Install says: "The Zero Install system makes software installation not merely easy, but unnecessary. Users run their applications directly from the Internet from the software author's pages."
As you can see, you obviously don't know any of the tools you mention. Thank you for making me waste my time and reafirming my faith in PBI.
Member since:2005-08-02
1) Agreed, Konvalo's documentation could be better. But I'm sure it's just a matter of user feedback and contacting the developer.
2) Of course, they cannot substitute build systems like pkgsrc or ports. And they cannot compete with the thousands of ready-to-use packages, built from ports.
3) So the coolest feature of PBI is the KDE-only GUI??
Yesterday, I ran gmplayer from Konvalo. That was "/coda/konvalo.org/start gmplayer" from the command line and waiting some time until the program fires up. This would be in contrast 9 (!!) clicks with PBI from Downloading to Finishing Installation. Not to forget the additional typing of the root password. Compared to this click-mania even the standard procedure via "sudo pkg_add -r gmplayer" + "gmplayer" is less cumbersome.
A now imagine what a Konvalo GUI could look like: Go to a webpage (Toolkit independent!), choose the application and ready!!
Okay, PBI automates the addition of menu entries and that's a nice feature.
4) Zero Install and Konvalo do software installation via downloading and caching. No root passwords for installation, every user can "install" or run the already cached programs. Cached programs will work offline, without network connection. Zero Install tools offer GUIs, can create Icons, etc.
I'm using Gimp, gmplayer, mplayer and gv from Konvalo and a few ROX-apps via the "Zero Install Injector", OS is NetBSD 2.02
Member since:
2005-08-02
There are no BSD file system layout standards! FreeBSD's layout for example is different from NetBSD's...
What we need is additional package management for /home/user!! And I don't mean ports, pkgsrc or pbi, because they are system-wide and have to be managed by root.
I don't see what's so cool about PC-BSDs package management? "Konvalo" and "Zero Install" were there before and they work for Linux and the BSDs now! The only thing missing is more support from users and packagers.
Infos:
http://www.konvalo.org
http://zero-install.sourceforge.net