A collection of tips for people new to BSD

The first time I was introduced to FreeBSD - a BSD variant, I came away really impressed. In my opinion, from an end user's perspective, the only difference between a BSD and Linux is the difference in licencing. If you setup two machines - one running FreeBSD and the other running a Linux distribution with both having a KDE or Gnome desktop and ask a neophyte to point out which is which, there is a good chance that he will consider them both as running one and the same operating system. So whether you choose Linux or BSD depends largely on your tastes.

On the down side, the BSD variants fall far behind when you compare the size of their community with respect to that of Linux which commands a community which is many times that of the BSDs. But if you consider the ratio of knowledgable people to newbies, the BSD's fare better.

If you are a potential BSD aspirant and wish to try out any of the BSDs which include FreeBSD, PC-BSD, OpenBSD, NetBSD and DesktopBSD, then you might find the resource page put up by Daemon News quite helpful. It contains lots of tips to carry out tasks which a neophyte in BSD might initially find insurmountable.

OpenBSD now features better Flash support

Viewing Flash content has always been a bone of contention for the BSDs (OpenBSD, NetBSD, FreeBSD et al). Mainly because Adobe has yet to release a native version of Flash player for the BSDs. And at present people using BSD are using a Linux compatiblity module to run a Linux version of Flash player - that too version 7.0.

But things are changing for the better - albeit at a glacial pace. Now there are a number of ways of viewing Flash files in OpenBSD (Which should also be applicable to other BSD's too).

1. Opera Flash player plugin - You can install Opera web browser via the OpenBSD ports. And using Opera web browser is one of the easiest way to view Flash content in OpenBSD.
2. net/yt - This is a script written by Pedro Martelletto which allows downloading and saving of flash videos from a variety of websites such as Youtube and the likes. The script not only downloads the Flash movies but also converts them to a more open format to be viewed on video players like Mplayer and Xine. You can download this script from the OpenBSD ports.
3. Gnash - Gnash is a GNU implementation of a Flash Player which is being actively developed in answer to a demand for a purely Free (as in Freedom) GPLed Flash player. This player has been said to show positive results such as for instance, now being able to play Youtube videos. A native version of Gnash can be installed in OpenBSD (Oh the joys of Free software).
4. There are a number of online services which allow you to convert Flash based videos to other formats, which can then be downloaded to your computer.
   

[Courtesy: OpenBSD Journal]

So as you can see, there are different ways of viewing Flash content on the BSD's more specifically on OpenBSD. I believe one of the biggest handicaps of the BSD's has been the lack of native support for viewing popular file formats such as Flash on them. But that is fast changing for the better.

Take part in a book auction to benefit FreeBSD foundation

Are you an avid user of FreeBSD ? Perhaps you use FreeBSD more than even good ol Linux. Well, here is a golden chance to support your favorite operating system.

Book publisher No Starch Press of San Francisco, California will auction the first copy of the second edition of "Absolute FreeBSD" to the highest bidder with all the proceeds being donated to The FreeBSD Foundation which is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization dedicated to supporting the FreeBSD Project.

If you are the highest bidder, then you will receive a signed copy of "Absolute FreeBSD" hot off the press and a Certificate of Authenticity. The ongoing auction at eBay runs through November 2, 2007. The latest bid as of this writing is $525. Now the big question is are you willing to up the ante and in the process contribute more to the FreeBSD foundation ? If you are interested, hurry because the auction closes on November 2 2007.

FreeBSD and Linux commands at your finger tips

Would you like to have all the important Linux and FreeBSD commands with suitable examples fit in a couple of pages ? If you do, then you have got your wish.

Colin Barschel has put together what he calls the Unix Toolbox. This is a fabulous piece of compilation which contain all the frequently useful commands in Linux and their equivalents in FreeBSD. This document covers a wide range of topics divided into 22 sections such as system, processes, file systems, network related, VPN, cryptography, installing and managing software and so on.

What I really like about Unix toolbox is that it is well structured, each section has a Linux subsection immediately followed by a FreeBSD subsection which explains equivalent commands in FreeBSD. Secondly, the document is made available in multiple formats namely PDF, HTML page, booklet version fit to be printed and made into a small booklet and so on.

A very good resource for any Linux/FreeBSD enthusiast. There is also an additional bonus. Visit the homepage of this site and you get a FreeBSD console right within your web browser. As of now there are 30 commands which can be used. Colin has used the termlib library to create the virtual terminal.