just discovered few weeks ago, by wondering and exploring about the beastie world, the net/free/open family that I already knew a bit about, but from a linux world whom corresponds to desktop and end users requirements and experience, I felt a bit better to understand that no, bsd systems are not only for servers :
I saw nomadbsd and few others initiatives, looks like the bigger obstacle is the proprietary or hw drivers… but believe me, from a noob bsd adventurer caming from an oldie world of linux, where each distro proposes an installation assistant/wizard where. .we can choose a specific partition to install on it…
well, nomadbsd doesnt proposes a such thing, which would be very useful…
then my three questions :
A/ would be coming soon like a nomadbsd installer to install it just next to win/nux hard drive? would be very useful
b/ is there a way to do a sort of installation of nomadbsd by creating a partition with gparted then dd the iso to the new partition, then to update for an already linux installation the grub menu?
c/ what are the main difference with a freebsd out of the box with xorg/kde installd and nomadbsd out of the box?
NomadBSD contains a small yet sufficient set of desktop utilities from Xorg, Freedesktop, Gnome, KDE, Xfce. I am writing here on a laptop, where I added very few of slim apps (KeePassXC, Kleopatra, Zim), and do not need a huge KDE-like desktop environment. Not being neither a programmer nor sysadmin, I am a happy NomadBSD user — refugee from MS Windows.
According to what I understood in my simple user-side usage of NomafBSD (only possible thanks to the help of this forum), it can only be installed on a whole disk, no partitions of it.
Then, pushed by the encouraging results in affording this system, I dealed with a FreeBSD13 installation, and I had success on it, after having resolved the matter given by the missing of a GUI installer, also tanks to tutorials on the net.
in the idea, I mistaken my first expression for A/ and B/
the correct way would be : I already have mswindows, linux installed in the hard drive ; how to add just nomadbsd to a new partition?
'cause all linuxes allows to install regarding partiion scheme of the hdd, where nomadbsd is the only one -except embedded- whom requires to use the entire hdd…
so is there a way to create 1/2/3 (/, /home, boot or swap?) partitions to then dd if=usb of=partitions to have it installed without wipe the whole disk?
I dont know those apps and going to learn a bit more however getting all desktop environnments is always an advantage for end-users, and knowing what are the diffs between common fbsd and nbsd would be very practical for those who wants to know better to what they are going
just to know, do you use it mainly for web apps ? did you ever had problems for example install others software than usual ones?
ps : does nomadbsd could be also ported as using a openbsd project or is it too much different to have something possible?
Hi Mauro,
means that you did an installation from freebsd directly, and you dealed to have such as a graphical one installation with all you needs without working on nomadbsd, whom is “not so different” ?
… because of the problem of wiping the whole hard drive at installation?
in fact, I was thinking about :
a/ install windows
b/ install linuxmint
c/ install freebsd or nomadbsd
so (lof of partition, at least ten I think)
then install back linuxmint or grub-install to add freebsd into the grub menu
then let’s play win/nux/bsd three choices on one hard disk. but it’s looks like it’s more complicated, Im a bit surprised because I never had problems to install several linuxes different distros next to a windows without having any problem, mainly the last liunx installed all others in the grub menu…
is it possible to do the same with fbsd/mbsd?
thanks!
in a point, it’s just to add a free/nmbsd alternative to my differents os, mainly if I just want to do few things and just discover a bit about differences between nux and bsd, with an intuitive gui plus end user interface =)
Try to explain better : a FreeBSD13 successfull installation was just my personal target, since I made some unsuccessfull attempts before because of no GUI for it and considered that after the OS installation you must separately provide yourself a graphic environment to add, otherwise you just deal with propmpt + command line to operate. NomadBSD has been the gate which made me better understand how to afford a FreeBSD installation , that is why I mentioned the relation between these two OS in my post .
My other understanding is that the installation of both OS is only allowed in an entire disk, not in a partition. Maybe someone else will tell I’m wrong, don’t know.
This is not a problem to me, since I handle these OS’es each installed on an USB3 removable volume, I separately boot the one I want when I need it, and they work much well.
I did same not only with Nomad/Freee BSD, but also with Linux Ubuntu 20.04 and Windows 10/11. You make the installation each on an USB3 stick with enough space, provide an USB3 multiport to connect to your pc, all the USB stick connected there, and then you boot what you like on your pc with no system disk engagement.
I was thinking about, maybe, to release/show the script whom “transforms” a common freebsd 13 installation into the final desktop environnment provided by nomadbsd?
would be very useful for the persons which are looking for a end user solution without getting it only on the stick or an entire hard drive
well, both NomadBSD 130 and FreeBSD 13 provide a full installation of their own system wherever you want to do it. With NomadBSD “live” usb stick, you run the Installer item from the System menu, and you target the destination as you like, could be the main pc disk or a removable one (USB).
Same with FreeBSD, after you run the installation media then you select the destination as said. The FreeBSD13 case represents a challenging task if you’re not experienced with it, I would suggest a video tutorial to follow which helped me a lot because of a desktop-installer facilitator, it shows a Virtualbox installation but it works exactly same on real hardware case. I can’t find it online anymore but have stored the video file and can upload it on a Google Drive to share.
however getting all desktop environnments is always an advantage for end-users, and knowing what are the diffs between common fbsd and nbsd would be very practical for those who wants to know better to what they are going 