The Definitive Guide to PC-BSD

Dru Lavigne

Mar 2010 · Apress

About this ebook

This book is the ultimate reference for both beginners and power users to PC-BSD—the free, easy-to-use operating system based on FreeBSD. Existing power users will learn how to look under the hood and contribute to the global PC-BSD community. PC-BSD is turning into a hassle-free alternative to Linux on the desktop. Enjoy secure, virus-free computing Quickly become a power user What you’ll learn How to completely customize your desktop to suit your personality and quickly access your favorite applications How to find and install quality, no-cost software How to keep your system secure, virus-free, and up to date How to perform common tasks such as playing music and video, sharing files, and gaming How to integrate the PC-BSD desktop into your network How to become part of the PC-BSD community Who this book is for

You don’t have to be a Unix user to enjoy the PC-BSD operating system. Even if you’re fairly new to computers, this book will quickly get you started using and enjoying PC-BSD. Existing power users will discover new usage tricks and learn how to advance their PC-BSD skills.

Table of Contents Introducing PC-BSD Installing PC-BSD Customizing the Desktop Getting Around Performing Common Tasks User System Settings Administrative System Settings Push Button Installer System FreeBSD Packages FreeBSD Ports Getting Help Getting Involved Advanced Tasks Becoming a Developer

About the author

Dru Lavigne has been using the Berkeley Software Distribution family of operating systems since the mid-1990s, and PC-BSD has been her primary desktop since 2006. A network and systems administrator and information technology instructor, she has over a decade of experience administering and teaching Netware, Microsoft, Cisco, Checkpoint, SCO, Solaris, Linux, and BSD systems. A prolific author, she is the author of BSD Hacks (O'Reilly, 2004) and The Best of FreeBSD Basics (Reed Media Services, 2007). Dru is currently the editor-in-chief of the Open Source Business Resource, a free monthly publication covering open source and the commercialization of open source assets. She is founder and current chair of the BSD Certification Group, a non-profit organization with a mission to create the standard for certifying BSD system administrators. She maintains a blog at http://it.toolbox.com/blogs/bsd-guru.