GUI for ports management - PC-BSD Forums

corby · #1 05-23-2005, 04:46 PM

Hello,

I just started using PCBSD and it's amazing. Nice to see a clean BSD installation. After PCBSD is installed, you're left with a working FreeBSD system.

It seem to me that the PCBSD package installer goes against the BSD philosophy. It adds another set of binaries to the system, outside of the BSD system.

Rather than yet another binary installer system, I would like to see a GUI front end that works with the existing ports/package system. The end result being your applications are installed, just as if they were done using the ports/package system. The GUI just helps with the installation, just like the PCBSD install helps to get a working FreeBSD system running.

Just my 2cents.

Corby

GaTh3N · #2 05-23-2005, 10:12 PM

i don't really know why people always want a gui, but in this thread (!!german!!) http://www.bsdforen.de/showthread.php?t=10333 somebody offered a gui for the ports collection to use with pcbsd...

#3 05-23-2005, 10:33 PM

A properly done GUI can help those of us who would like to learn, but sometimes get confused at the command prompt. Afterall, isn't PCBSD among otherthings, a GUI installer for FreeBSD?

A well done GUI will assist the user, without getting in the way of the CLI.

GaTh3N, unfortunately, I don't read German. If you don't mind, can you give a summary in English, what the other thread says?

corby · #4 05-23-2005, 10:34 PM

A properly done GUI can help those of us who would like to learn, but sometimes get confused at the command prompt. Afterall, isn't PCBSD among otherthings, a GUI installer for FreeBSD?

A well done GUI will assist the user, without getting in the way of the CLI.

GaTh3N, unfortunately, I don't read German. If you don't mind, can you give a summary in English, what the other thread says?

Charles · #5 05-23-2005, 11:00 PM

Without GUIs, many people get lost in the realms of command lines and everending options. PC-BSD decided to solve this problem and to offer a system that is easy to use for regular users. It doesn't use the ports, maybe because installing from the ports returns errors a fair amount of times (just an assumption).

GaTh3N · #6 05-27-2005, 09:38 AM

soul_rebel:

Quote:

hm ich arbeite schon seit ner weile an einer guten oberfläche für die ports(wo es hoffentlich nächste woche den ersten release gibt), wo ma auch durch einen klick ein programm installieren kann, aber halt aus den ports (auch mit netten wizards, die sehr einfach zu bedienen sind und trotzdem experten features haben, also konsole output der installation zum fehler suchen und so).
[...]
aber der leiter(und glaube ich einzige coder) von pcbsd, hatte keine wirkliche lust, dass ich versuch dass in pcbsd zu integrieren, naja...

Translation (not literal, but nearly

)

Quote:

He says, that he has developed a GUI for the Ports Collection (and there is the first release this week). With the GUI you can install programs with one click, using wizards. But there are still some "expert features" like console output for finding errors.
[...]
Then he complains about the Maintainer of PC-BSD how wasn't very helpful with integrating the GUI into PC-BSD...

I hope this translation is ok for you...

kmoore134 · #7 05-27-2005, 01:28 PM

LOL

I'm not sure if this is the same person who e-mailed this GUI to me, but basicly I said the same thing that i'll say right now. I want to stick with my custom installer, as the default integrated one. A ports GUI is nice, but in my opinion still won't cut it for a large majority of end users. However, I have nothing against taking this ports GUI, and making a .PBI file of it, so that the curious, or other power-users can try it out. (The same as cvsup, pkg_add and others, I wont remove the functionality to use those tools, if you dont like .pbi's and want to use something else, by all means feel free)

corby · #8 05-27-2005, 05:33 PM

GaTh3N,

Did he give a name of his port? I would be interested in checking it out.

kmoore134 · #9 05-27-2005, 08:00 PM

I cant remember who the guy was either.. I've gotten so much e-mail since this all started, thats why he probably thought I was kind of rude, my replies have been pretty short :P

It might have been this though:

http://www.meowfishies.com/bpm.rhtml

I'll see if I can get a package made up of it sometime here soon, so you can
install it via PBI, then use it to admin your ports also.

corby · #10 05-27-2005, 08:58 PM

Kris,

Making a package for BPM is an interesting concept....an installer for an installer....yikes!

I just checked and see that BPM is available as a port. I'll check it out when I get some time.

Thanks for the info.

And thanks for PC-BSD. It's gotten me past all the problems I had with the FreeBSD installer (Mainly getting X to work)