Customer Reviews

The FreeBSD Handbook

5 star:		(4)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

A technical reference book without an index is pretty much useless. It's almost false advertising to call this a "handbook". Even if it did have an index, it would remain a lightweight manual. For example, almost 50% of the (thin) chapter on installing FreeBSD is simply a list of supported hardware. "The Complete FreeBSD" is MUCH better value.

I assumed that after years of using Windows, the move to UNIX would be somewhat painful....I was wrong. With the help of this handbook I was able to install FreeBSD the first time with no trouble! The manual didn't leave me hanging there. Very detailed descriptions of basic UNIX utilities and filestructures were invaluable.

The FreeBSD Handbook took me step by step through the entire boot process from the boot blocks to the shutdown sequence. Chapters covering user account management were also extremly easy to read and chock full of useful information. Even complex topics (for a newbie) such as configuring the kernal and various security issues were a snap.

Anyone would be doing him/herself a great service by using the Free BSD Handbook.

After I got this book I scaned it and thought it looked only looked okay. At work thirty FreeBSD machines appeared for users and we had to get them setup and locked down fast. The security and other sections of the book not only showed us what we needed, but other options. FreeBSD Rocks, and so does this book. The only drawback is lack of a index.

The utility of this Handbook is greatly diminished by the lack of an index. The book quickly goes over the head of a newbie, with Chapter 4 attempting to explain how to write code for a "port" before this newbie succeeded in getting FreeBSD to run the numerous ports available on the FreeBSD CD. Newbies should look for a more basic text, with an index.

I refer to this book regularly while working on my FreeBSD systems. It's hard to call it much more than a hard copy of the online handbook. The lack of an index is an annoying shortcoming. The book is a good companion to Greg Lehey's "The Complete FreeBSD" book. For basic setup, configuration, or general information it's very useful.

FreeBSD is killer O/S, you shd have Handbook to admin, but caveat emptor:

(1) download latest rev handbook, it's only a couple Meg...(2) No, there's no index, but FreeBSD is well indexed (handbook,man pages, source) at [a website](which means you gotta have 2 PCs while you're installing) (4) You can't just throw in FreeBSD CD and hit ENTER a lot, no linuxconf, etc. Suse/Red Hat definitely newbie-friendlier. FreeBSD is a helluva lot more stable than the Red Hat 7 releases.

Great book, there are a few spelling errors here and there but that is expected with a first publication of the FreeBSD handbook. I would recommend this to ANYBODY who is running the FreeBSD operating system!

i'm using linux for a long time now and i decided a few months ago to give FreeBSD a try and i've read very many tutorials on the web and one book until i found this book it is indeed true that its not very helpful to explain newbies how to make their own port on page 69 and to show them how to build your own kernel right after that... but whats the problem with that you dont have to read the book from page 1 to 489 without having a look on the chapters that are more interesting? everybody can read this book as he wants and everybody who is interested in FreeBSD should read that book especially YOU : >

lets make FreeBSD as popular as Linux is now, its worth it ! give it a try!

g s