This is a release I've been waiting for quite a while; it's a nifty front-end installer for FreeBSD 6.2 (the latest and greatest version of FreeBSD) that takes all the hassle out of installing a Unix-like system, with the added benefit of being completely dummy-proof in adding apps with a series of push-button installers (pbi's) that package all the dependencies/support files in a single package, much like the installers for Windows programs (exe?) or Mac OS X (dmg) do--no chance of getting caught in a Linux dependency hell (though increasingly rare, it does happen).
Below is a vid of PC-BSD 1.3 installation in action (much the same as 1.4, except that version of FreeBSD is 6.1), fairly short but enough to give you a general idea:
Initially I was going to install this in VirtualBox, as I had the ISO files (CDs one and two) but was too lazy to burn them to CD; VirtualBox refused to cooperate, so I ended up installing the system to an old Compaq laptop, maxed out with 1 Gb of ram and a 120 Gb HDD.
The installation process took around 30 minutes total, and that was only because I chose to add some additional items from the second CD--the initial base install took a total of 17 minutes: first asking me identify my timezone/keyboard layout/language on one screen, then root password/user name/Real name/user password/shell account (I chose bash, as that's what is used with most Linux distros, and the one I'm familiar with); this was followed by a disk partition screen, where I chose 'use the whole disk'--though the option to use only a sub-section was available under 'advanced options'.
The next fifteen minutes or so I was treated to a screen show touting PC-BSD's features while the installer did its work; at the end of this process I was prompted to insert the 2nd CD to install Firefox, KOffice, and the FreeBSD ports tree (the source for compiling software, should you want to get your hands dirty and avoid the pbi's).
Sadly, this old laptop has an ancient ATI graphics card, and though compiz-fusion is supported on Mandriva, Ubuntu, Fedora, and OpenSuse with this very same card, PC-BSD doesn't have it, as ATI has not provided them with the necessary drivers.
The KDE desktop in PC-BSD is truly lovely, so much so that even Konqueror ( a web browser) looked snazzy--once KDE4 is released and integrated into this system it's going to be a tough system to resist: uber-secure and stable, beautifully polished, and a total no-brain-needed situation as regards updating/adding new software. The perfect system for those completely new to the Open Source world--I can't believe it's free (as in beer)!
There are graphical menus for literally everything, with helpful desktop icons that lead to the PC-BSD homepage (which has links to their forums), the pbi directory (where you can download tons of wonderful apps, and install them with a simple double click of the mouse--un-installing is just another double-click away), a quick install guide, your home directory, and the trash.
Flash, mp3 playing, and watching DVDs is ready as soon as you are in your new desktop, and after playing around a bit with the various settings, tweaking the wallpaper and menu bars, I headed over to the pbi directory to download a couple of apps.
Installation was flawless, though you will need to enter the root (or superuser) password on each installation (for security reasons); the system came with a firewall already set up (along with denyhosts), and scrolling through the various menus and launching apps was very quick and responsive, even on this old machine.
On the first boot, an automatic X server configuration tool popped up, allowing for easy setup of the graphic card/monitor resolution--no more using the command line to edit xorg.conf files!
Kudos to Charles, antik, and the rest of the PC-BSD team for a system that is just absolutely a joy to install and run; after having tried (and failed) to get straight FreeBSD going (startx, i.e., getting a KDE desktop just wouldn't take), it was nice to have a FreeBSD system that was super easy to install and use.
If you are a new user, there is everything here for you; equally so if you are an experienced techie you can get into the FreeBSD ports tree and compile to your hearts content. Something for everyone here, no matter their level of knowledge or expertise.
As always, if I have omitted anything or failed to make anything clear, please feel free to drop a comment below; also, if you have questions/comments about other tech-related topics (Open Source or not), then they are totally on-topic. Cheers!