truebsd - livecd bsd for the end-user
You have probably noticed the recent influx of BSD-based distros and livecds on DistroWatch. Here’s one that caught their attention in a recent issue of DistroWatch Weekly:
TrueBSD 0.1
TrueBSD TrueBSD version 0.1 is the first release of a FreeBSD-based mini distro (200 MB). Unlike the other high-end Russian FreeBSD-based mini live CD, Frenzy, which I reviewed for DistroWatch in the past, TrueBSD is not aimed at the experienced system administrator, but at the general user. Thus these two distros wonderfully complement each other.
TrueBSD has plenty of eye candy, including Xfce, a very cool looking desktop, and a catchy logo. Command line aficionados will delight in the advanced (Bash compatible) Zsh terminal. All the main applications, which include, AbiWord, Emacs, Xmms, MPlayer, Firefox, Sylpheed and Gaim, are accessible via one click on the panel), while others, including the super-fast Links browser, are accessible via a right-click. TrueBSD is easy and intuitive to use. The only thing which might confuse a newbie is the absence of a convenient mounting utility on the desktop (mounting is done either through the command line or with the basic, but functional, TrueConf utility). TrueBSD also has a couple of solid system administration tools (e.g. Nessus), a DOS emulator, a wide choice of text editors and some neat games (e.g. Doom2). The documentation includes the man and info pages and the official FreeBSD Handbook.
All-in-all, TrueBSD is already a stunning success, specially for a version 0.1. It offers a very comfortable choice of applications, a rock-solid operating system, and plenty of intuitive ways to familiarize newbies with FreeBSD. My only regret was the small size of 200 MB instead of a full-size (compressed) 700 MB distro. The good news is that Sokolov is planning to release the next version, planned for the second quarter of 2007, in two (200 MB and 700 MB) editions, and that this second release will be a major upgrade of the distro. Hopefully, Aleksei Sokolov’s project will benefit from the help of other talented developers, testers and TrueBSD-specific documentation writers as this distro clearly has the potential to grow into the reference distro for BSD-based live CDs.
The author points out in the last paragraph that he was disappointed that the distro was only 200MB in weight, but I disagree; one of the reasons I don’t play with Knoppix anymore is that it has gotten too big. I’ve always felt that livecds were supposed to be a way to try out something, not a full distro.
In closing, I’ve always picked at Jeff for running BSD, but the fact is I don’t know a thing about it. This would be a great way to try out a nicely configured system without having to futz around with building and installing. Another plus - it’s a livecd, so you can yank the CD out when your finished, and your system is just the way you left it.
You can find TrueBSD here.