This is an installation script that will turn a fresh install of FreeBSD 12.0 into based MATE desktop. It is inspired by GhostBSD. GhostBSD was a FreeBSD desktop distribution that originally used FreeBSD as it's base. After several years GhostBSD switch it's base to TrueOS. While GhostBSD continues to be a great desktop I require (and prefer) a FreeBSD base system. I created this installation script and the corresponding PKG repository to fill that gap.
It's recommended that you start with a clean install of FreeBSD 12.0 64-bit. Your non-root user should belong to the operator and wheel group so that it can perform administrative functions.
fetch -o - http://k.itty.cat/7 | sh
After about 30 minutes (depending on your Internet connection) your system will automatically reboot into a graphical desktop. See the GitHub repo or http://www.unibia.com/unibianet/freebsd/mate-desktop for additional information.
Errata patch for FreeType has been released for OpenBSD 7.5. OpenBSD 7.6 is not affected. Binary updates for the amd64, arm64 and i386 platform are available via the syspatch utility.
The Valuable News weekly series provides a curated summary of news, articles, and updates primarily related to UNIX, BSD, and Linux systems. This edition covers topics such as FreeBSD developments, hardware builds, life-related insights, and other interesting projects. Highlights include updates on FreeBSD's bug backlog, GhostBSD experiences, OpenBSD advancements.
This post are notes for author's presentation at OSDay 2025 in Florence highlights the enduring relevance of BSD systems in 2025. Author emphasizes their stability, security, and performance, contrasting them with the mainstream "monoculture" of Linux, Docker, and Kubernetes. BSDs offer a coherent philosophy, excellent documentation, and tools designed for consistency and reliability. FreeBSD, OpenBSD, and NetBSD are introduced, showcasing their unique strengths in security, portability, and long-term support. Author advocates for evaluating alternatives to mainstream tools, promoting freedom and stability in an increasingly complex technological landscape.
The recent update to fw_update(8) introduces support for arbitrary dmesg files, allowing users to specify custom dmesg logs for firmware detection. This change addresses issues with installing firmware on systems lacking direct download access and simplifies testing for devices using custom dmesg logs. The update also adjusts the OpenBSD version detection mechanism to rely on dmesg instead of sysctl, while still allowing sysupgrade to override settings. This enhancement is particularly beneficial for users installing OpenBSD on hardware that requires firmware not included in the default install media.
OpenZFS RAID-Z Expansion: A New Era in Storage Flexibility, ZFS Orchestration Tools – Part 1: Snapshots, The Case of UNIX vs. The UNIX System, OpenBGPD 8.8 released, OPNsense 25.1, and more.
FreeBSD's SO_SPLICE enables kernel-level TCP proxying, reducing CPU overhead by eliminating unnecessary data copying and system call overhead. This feature improves network efficiency, lowers latency, and enhances throughput. Available in FreeBSD 14.2, it provides a streamlined solution for high-performance proxying. Benchmarks show reduced CPU usage and increased throughput compared to traditional userspace proxying. Klara Systems implemented this feature, demonstrating its effectiveness in real-world scenarios. Future enhancements may include UDP support and integration with FreeBSD's kernel TLS (KTLS).
Errata patches for libexpat have been released for OpenBSD 7.6 and 7.5. Binary updates for the amd64, arm64 and i386 platform are available via the syspatch utility.
The FreeBSD team got on top of a huge backlog problem with help from data visualization tools. They set up dashboards to track and sort over 7,000 old bugs. Now they fix bugs twice as fast as new ones come in and respond to users more quickly.
The Valuable News series provides a weekly summary of news and articles related to UNIX/BSD/Linux systems. This edition highlights key updates such as the release of FreeBSD 13.5, hardware reviews, and community projects.
In this video you can take a quick look at what GhostBSD offers - be advised that this is via VirtualBox.