Contributed by jose on from the widgets-and-pull-downs dept.
The main goal of the [G.O.BI.E.] is to add a graphical installation of the famous OS OpenBSD. This project has been developed in the spirit of OpenBSD which means that the installation is as close as possible as the text one.I haven't run this yet myself, but this project looks like a pretty good effort to make the text only installer easier for new users.
(Comments are closed)
By Anonymous Coward () on
By Volker Kindermann () openbsd@secspace.de on mailto:openbsd@secspace.de
What is so hard in installing OpenBSD???
By Anonymous Coward () on
work on a warm-fuzzy interface to fdisk/disklabel
instead. That seems to be the most common
complaint.
By Shane J Pearson () shanep@ign.com.au on mailto:shanep@ign.com.au
I would have to start putting video cards into my OpenBSD machines!
A noble effort, but it will be largely ignored. People who want touchy feely open source firewalls probably should stick to Mandrake [bletch].
By Dan () on
GUI install will attract more users to move from linux to BSD.
By Gawd () on
(Once one understands it, it couldn't be easier!)
I think this GUI looks damn awesome I have to admit. I think having that as an 'option' in the base, this would attract a lot of new people and at the same time help promote OpenBSD & Sales!
Personally, I've always hated GUI based installers but this makes OpenBSD not look so primative to newbies, or people accustomed to Windows/RedHat.
By RC () on
However, looking at the screenshots gave me an idea. It looks like a nice interface and all that, why not change it just a little, into a GUI OpenBSD system administration/configuration utility?
Now THAT is the kind of thing that will help out beginners.
That's not the OpenBSD isn't simple enough to configure, especially when compared to Linux or even FreeBSD.
By francisco () on http://www.blackant.net/
This will help ensure that the level of competence grows along with the user base, and hopefully help keep down the level of redundancy on the lists.
Has anyone seen my orange juice? I had it before i rebooted...
By tack () tack atttt dontIncludeThis moreToStripOut angers on mailto:tack atttt dontIncludeThis moreToStripOut angers
Newbies lead to install frustration. Install frustration leads to GUI installs. GUI installers lead to GUIs being installed be default. GUIs as default leads to SUFFERINGGGGGGG. (what master yoda would say were he a sysadmin)
By Anonymous Coward () on
If it is the best audited OS, we know it is,
why not attract it to wider audience? I belive
OpenBSD team will continue to keep it the best,
so let others to make some more marketing.
Peace Nobel Price for Theo and OpenBSD team
and satisfaction and pride for other
OpenBSD lovers.
By Isak Lyberth () ily@simpel-it.dk on www.simpel-it.dk
By OH MY GOD () on
I think it is EASY to install OBSD today.
Last time I needed to do it was in a hurry and
got surprised how easy it was.
The only thing I really had wanted is to backup
the partitioning information somehow and to
be able to batch-partitioning easy from the
installation.
This would make a good restore-install-feature.
Textbase of course.
I never have a mouse connected to my servers anyway.
By spek () on
maybe if someone has found a very easy way to install GNOME on OpenBSD, they could offer up some help to the community.
By zil0g () on
I thought, "bu.. wait a mo... didn't I just fix the disk..?" other than that it was very straight forward and the mail and afterboot(8) all rocket-jump you into it, along with the FAQ pages etc...
so, me thinking it was 'hard' or confusing was because 'slices' 'disklabel' and counting in sectors and stuff was new to me at the time, hardly the fault of OpenBSD.
now I just installed a laptop, took 11 min and I was logged in to a 'full' install configuring X :)
and NO please DON'T add gnome.tgz to base install options, X is the last place I (and I boldly pressume, you) use it for. it's a server/bridge/fw/etc !
keep it simple damnit.
By Anonymous Coward () on
This thing seems to be aimed at the less experienced user, which begs the question whether such a user should be installing OpenBSD himself at all?!
Oh, btw, are gobie.net's usage statistic pages (http://gobie.net/stats) supposed to be world readable? Just curious.
By Chris () cwareham@btinternet.com on http://www.btinternet.com/~cwareham/
Granted it isn't going to work on all architectures or configurations that OpenBSD supports, but there again someone installing it on a Vax isn't likely to find the text installer a hindrance ...
So stop bitching about an impressive little project like this one - I'm pretty sure most of you couldn't code your way out of a paper bag. But perhaps that's a mark of OpenBSD's increased popularity, that the standard of comments on OBJ have descended to the Slashdot level.
By Theodore TOURY () toury_t@gobie.net on http://www.gobie.net
i am complety aware that the text install is exellent
but i repeat, this project was done in a school context, so we coded it for learning first, not for creating a usefull gui
i no longer hope that it will be heavily used but the project is coded so what can i do ? :
rm -rf /gobie
come on i don't think so
i understand that gui is against some of your goals but i repeat the main goal of this program was to learn
you can say we could have done somethink more usefull but remember that we do not have a 10 years experience in code auditing
i do not have the skills for doing some code in kerneland
anyway, you should see the positive aspect of this project.
for me if this program helps only one user, i will be happy
you should not care if somebody use it
just for finish i want to say that the program is not released yet so don't panic
and no i never used linux or some crap like this
i do not want to transform openbsd into linux
Theodore TOURY
By Anonymous Coward () on
By Anonymous Coward () on
One thing I would look at adding is a summary file, written locally or mailed to where ever of the config options chosen. I've seen times on misc@ where the answer was "you didn't install one of the sets during the install".
And be the first installer to ask "shall I mail a dmesg to OpenBSD when we reboot?" Come on now, how many of you do that each time you install on a machine?
The only problem I can see is if using this installer ends up with a different system than using the default text one. Imagine on misc@ "I can't get foobar to work; which install did you use? THE GUI! GET LOST! You probably compiled your own kernel as well."
By Miod Vallat () miod@openbsd.org on mailto:miod@openbsd.org
It is not about replacing the current installer with some fancy graphical installer.
It is about choice.
If, for whatever reason, people feel uncomfortable with the current, text-mode, installer, then they can use gobie and have (almost exactly) the same procedure in a friendler way, and install the same *31.tgz sets as everyone. That will not prevent anyone from using the regular installation media if this is what they prefer.
Come on, installing is something you are only doing once in the life of a computer (unless severe hardware damage).
By Andrew () andrew@.:MAPSON:.packetfarm.org on http://www.packetfarm.org/andrew/
The fact is that OpenBSD is meant to be used by everyone that wants to use it. To that end, if something like a GUI installer comes along that will bring more users to OpenBSD or add functionality in some way, it should be applauded.
Instead, people jump on the announcement like it is the signal of the beginning of the project's downfall. That's really, really sad.
I don't think "get over it" will do, seems that "get over yourselves" is more appropriate.
Andrew
By Jeff Flowers () jeffrey@jeffreyf.net on mailto:jeffrey@jeffreyf.net
Dispite my opinion, however, I don't think that the fdisk/slice portion of the install should be rewritten simply to attract new users. If OpenBSD was a commercial OS, I might agree but it isn't.
By Anonymous Coward () on
I had to overwrite another operating system on my work laptop to use during a 3 day class, and had to go back to get full support for applications I have to use during work. Not enough time to figure out dual booting, and partition resizing, but if I could have just booted a ramdisk based ISO I could have saved time afterward.
Has anyone documented the differences between bsd.rd and what a normal kernel can do?
By Anonymous Coward () on
By Anonymous Coward () on
By Anonymous Coward () on
http://www.osnews.com/comment.php?news_id=1484
One of the most prominent is, why is Gobie (illegally) using Be and Windows icons?
By Anonymous Coward () on
By Torque () on
These guys worked hard on something they thought was a good idea. They learned, and produced something that will help some folks out.
Just because they have not spent this time on your pet project, you should be unkind to their work? If you have a pet project that needs work, work on it yourself, or ask others nicely. It's your pet, after all.
Good work guys!! Keep the ideas and the hard work coming. You embody the spirit of free software far better than your detractors.
By BokLM () boklm@mars-attacks.org on http://mars-attacks.org
I don't understand why some people don't want of this project. No one said this would replace the text mode installer, if you're computer don't support or if you don't like gui then you can still use the textmode install. But as long as the GUI stay as close as the text one, why not allow people to choose ?
Some people use OpenBSD on their desktop computer, so why not a graphical installation ?
By Anonymous Coward () on
If those folks really have so much time to make pictures they may use the time to do sth more useful.
By root man () root.man@ix.netcom.com on mailto:root.man@ix.netcom.com
I need machines to be able to function headless. In fact the current install should open up (documented) consoles on all serial ports identified so video or realweasel cards are not needed.
If OBSD ever moves away from a text only install I will stop using it.
By Anonymous Coward () on
By Anonymous Coward () on