The Backdoor of Reality

Today's post is a bit off-topic, but trust me, it's worth it, cuz I've got something that'll knock your socks off. Read on...

Problem: Windows sucks. But so does just about everything else.

For years, many people have wished there was an alternative to Windows. Unfortunately, for most, there really hasn't been a decent alternative. There are, of course, literally hundreds of Linux variations, but every last one of 'em is a royal pain in the ass to set up and use. All stereotypes aside, you really do need to be a masochistic geek to like, use, and maintain Linux, especially if you've been using Windows for ages and have gotten used to things working simply, and programs that actually install with a single click.

How about Mac OS/X? Blech. Sure, it's more stable than Windows (although I'm hearing more and more complaints to the contrary these days from loyal Mac users), but honestly, it's far too simplistic for anyone that needs to have some aspect of control over their own system. Might be full-featured in some respects, but in the end, one can't help but have the thought "this thing's made for morons" cross their mind. "Basic" doesn't even begin to cover it.

So, Windows is popular, but unstable and buggy, Linux is too complicated, and buggy in its own right (and has way too many different versions to retain any kind of long-term software compatibility), and Mac OS/X is the software equivalent of a Barbie doll that wets itself and then giggles as you smile stupidly and say, "aw, how cute." What does that leave us for choices? Oh, yeah, the really heavy stuff, like Solaris, Unix, and all the corporate derivatives that take a PhD to set up and maintain.

The answer was obvious, but nobody ever did a good job at implementing it. What's been needed is something that has the stability and safety of Unix, but the "frills" and simplicity of Windows. The Linux crowd, God bless 'em, tried their damndest, but ultimately ended up with a bunch of Unix knockoffs that were overly complicated. They'd nailed the "Free version of Unix" portion, but just sorta stopped there. I kid you not, it used to be a common event for Linux users to get together and have "install parties," where they'd all bring their systems over and help each other set up Linux distributions.

There have been a few other projects over the years, like WinLinux, that tried to carry the torch forward, but most, if not all, died in a pool of their own sweat and tears. One noteable project worth watching (and supporting) is ReactOS, a free, ground-up, 100% compatible Windows clone, written entirely with original, open-source code. These guys went all the way back to [a free version of] DOS, and started building back up. I admire the hell out of that project, and can't wait to see them get to the finish line.

Anywho, that still doesn't solve our problem. But I know what will.

You may have heard of BSD, and it's derivatives, most noteably FreeBSD. Yeah, it's another Unix clone, but still close enough to be called Unix and not Linux. Still, that alone wasn't the solution. FreeBSD was just as hard to fathom for most as any Linux distro (distro is slang for distribution, aka version/release/build/etc). But then, finally, someone made the connection. A new OS was built using the FreeBSD core elements, but with new, uniquely designed aspects to give the user a Windows-like experience, including all the functions that all the others before had skipped. It's called PC-BSD, and it's absolutely incredible. It works and looks like Windows (well, close enough, anyway --gotta expect a few differences), is rock-solid stable, typically installs and runs out-of-the-box for most systems, and won't cause you hours or days of headaches fighting with problems or recovering from crashes and viruses. The word "relief" instantly comes to mind. Their new package manager is wonderful, allowing users to install software just like a Windows machine, without having to chase down every dependency and do it all manually as with most of the others. A few Linux variations are trying to go in this direction now, too, but none have yet gotten close to this impressive baby.

It was such a marvel that a major company recently bought it, and will be supporting it for the long-haul. Best of all, it's completely free.



So, what are the pros and cons?

Pros: A stable OS that will run your software, is easy to set-up, use, and maintain, has constant support, doesn't eat-up tons of resources due to hundreds of "background processes" always running, and is, for the most part, immune to viruses. If you've got a favorite Windows app, there's a good chance you'll still be able to use it with PC-BSD (see my comments below regarding running actual Windows programs inside of PC-BSD). I've also been able to install this OS on several systems, and had it instantly work, without needing to install any secondary drivers. That just blew my mind. (I did go ahead and upgrade the graphics driver for my GeForce card, since nVida makes a BSD-compatible driver, but I didn't have to do it, I just wanted the graphics boost). In every instance so far, though, everything was working by default. Sound, video, network, --the works.

Cons: If you're a hard-core gamer, you'll be SOL most of the time, simply because most of the games these days are written either for Windows or consoles. I've gotten around this by keeping a spare drive with XP on it, stored in a "rack" that I can just pop-in temporarily and boot from when I want to shoot stuff.

Possibilities: There are several methods available, or in development, for running Windows programs within PC-BSD. There's the classic Wine which allows numerous Windows apps and games to run directly, as if you were running Windows. There is now a program called Win4BSD that will allow you to install Windows as a "Virtual Machine" inside of PC-BSD, so you can run Windows apps within it. It's also got a method of running the Windows apps directly, using the installed components from Windows, but without actually running the second OS. Very cool.

As I see it, the only drawback is gaming, and that's slowly being knocked-out through additional development. Eventually they'll figure out how to connect the graphics hardware directly to virtual machines (like Win4BSD) so that they'll run the games, too. Wine already does that, but is an emulator, unlike Win4BSD which literally runs the alternate OS in a window, and devotes specific, actual system resources to it (everything but the damned accelerated graphics, it seems).

I should also mention Cedega. It's a new program and subscription service that allows people to install and play Windows games directly on their Linux systems. I've read that it will work on PC-BSD, too, but have not tried it. I don't know if the subscription aspect is mandatory, or just an enhancement for extra stuff like voting for which game they'll add to the list next, or for support (they charge five bucks a month for subscribers). The new Mandriva 2006 has Cedega built-in, so maybe there's a way to use it without subscribing. I don't know at this point, but either way, it's a fantastic advancement for gamers, and would definitely solve the only remaining major drawback.


Anyway, the bottom line is simply this. There is an alternative to Windows now, one that isn't a tech-geek's wet dream to use. PC-BSD is easy, user-friendly, stable as hell, and will get the job done, using much of the same software you're already using. In a nutshell, it's friggin' awesome, and miles ahead of anything else out there. Or let me put it this way, it's the closest thing you'll find that will give you an effective Windows installation without actually being Windows. Music, movies, web browsing, pictures, ftp, file sharing, chat, email, and even some games, --you'll have it, and often using the same programs you've come to love. If, like me, you've wanted to make the break from Windows, but couldn't because only Windows would handle favorite software, and because the previous alternatives were overly complicated and annoying as hell to re-learn and operate, well, the answer is finally available, and it's even free.

You can download it here.

Or, if you'd like to nose around a bit first, take a gander at this page.

Note: There are two ISOs available. Only the first is needed for the install. The second is merely a collection of optional add-ons and additional software, bundled to save you time. To see some of the software you can easily download and add to your system, check out this site.

Discussion forums, for any assistance or support, can be found here.

Oh, one last thing. I've noticed that a lot of people want to know about painless hardware combinations, ie. which items someone has in their system that gave a flawless, out-of-the-box install for PC-BSD. So, if it'll help, here's what I was using, and that PC-BSD worked with instantly:

Motherboard: N4SLI-A9 (from Biostar)
Sound: On-board.
Video: PCI-E GeForce 6600
Various USB devices (mouse/keyboard/external drives, etc)

Also worth mentioning, it installed to a SATA hard drive and didn't flinch. Never requested or needed special drivers like Windows does. I also didn't have to set up the network, I was online and hitting webpages the moment it was done installing.


The Backdoor of Reality: Sending Bill to the poorhouse, one user at a time.

lol


Enjoy!


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