View Single Post
  #6   (View Single Post)  
Old 8th January 2012
ocicat ocicat is offline
Administrator
 
Join Date: Apr 2008
Posts: 3,318
Default

Quote:
Originally Posted by argv View Post
Imagine you want to install FreeBSD/NetBSD/OpenBSD and
1. you do not have a CDROM drive
2. you do not have an existing installation of the OS and
3. you do not have network access to one of the above (no PXE).

How would you do it?
  • USB CD-ROM drives run $50-$100US. Most won't find this price range exorbitant.
  • And in addition to jggimi's comments, most serious OpenBSD users have more than one computer.
  • NIC/motherboard combinations supporting PXE have been around for several years. Many have access to such hardware.
This covers your three concerns.

As the Open Source movement has matured, one fundamental axiom has emerged -- if one can't implement needed features themselves, one can either pay someone else to do the work or wait until the cognoscenti do the same. The OpenBSD project is small in comparison to most other OS efforts. Their target audience is themselves. Casual users have no say in directing the project unless they are willing to submit code for consideration or make a sizable donation towards the same ends.

For better or worse, that pretty well summarizes the cultural view.
Reply With Quote