A instalation overview and opinions of FreeBSD as a desktop OS in 2023
This story begins back in 2022, when I was getting into the linux community. Yet I was a pretty mediocre user, I always loved to know more about this system: its legacy, what it is, how to use it, etc. Because of that, I also tried to know if there were any other Unix based oses, to maybe use it or just have the knowledge to that. That's when I it.
I've always been wanting to install it in a real computer, not just because I wanted to see how hard or easy it was to install, but also to get a real experience, not just a virtualized one. This year, though, I could make this come true, because I had a computer that I was sure was 100% compatible with it, and I could also try anything with it, since it was only 150R$ (30US$). Here are the specifications, if you're wondering: Intel Core i3-2100 3.1Ghz; 4GB RAM single channel. (And yeah, I know it's simple and totally not usable nowadays).
FreeBSD has a very simple instalation process, as soon as you pay attention on what it informs. I wouldn't recommend it for any person out there, but if you've used any BSD distro before you should be good with it.
Personally, I think FreeBSD comes good enough out of the box. I know it doesn't have any GUI or related, but if you're a oldschool user or just someone that'll use this OS only for a server, this definitely won't be a problem. It comes lightweight, fast and familiar for the ones that have used some Unix system.
Since I was going to use FreeBSD as a desktop OS, I had to install a WM, DE and also a DM. I didn't know which one was good for me, but I tried LightDM with Mate and it worked fine. Now talking about the drivers... I would say that's the worst part of FreeBSD. Installing the intel iGPU driver was fine, but when I tried to install the drivers to my GeForce 8600GS, it became clear what this OS wasn't made for. I don't know why, but every single time I tried to install it, it gave a error, and I was too afraid to get help in the forums, sadly.
If you already have a big experience with solving problems, I'd say you're good using FreeBSD, but otherwise, it's better to use either NomadBSD or just GhostBSD.