Debian Linux / FreeBSD

i recently downloaded all 7 of the latest debian and the 2 freebsd iso's.

first
being a linux noobie, i am only familiar with the graphical intallation of redhat 9.

since i found out redhat won't up2date redhat anymore i want to switch to something else.

i successfully installed freebsd, however it was only text based, i did not see any options to install a gui or anything like that. i need a gui.

i successfully installed debian aswell, however it too was only text based.
So with persistance i tried to install once again and switched every friggen disc for package scaning or something once again.

i think i started installing the packs correctly because it said something like 500 or so new packages to install 0 updated bla bla bla...

i ran into trouble though when later is asked me to configure my keyboard(strange because i thought i did this at the begining) so i selected an option like leave it only and pressed enter and it went back to the screen that showed me all the keyboard layouts so i selected a different choice and but it when back to the previous screen like it did before. i repeated this a few times but then i couldn't even use my keyboard!

i was forced to shut the power off and powered back up with no discs in the drive it then back to the same screen and the keyboard still didn't work.

what wen wrong with my debian installation?
how do i get a gui for freebsd?

p.s. im downloading the fedora core 2 because i know how easy it will be to install but would sincerely like to try these and other distro's.

please help
thank you very much in advance

Free BSD is very picky in the install. For one, it seems like you have to set options multiple times, when you really don't. I suggest you find a Free BSD installation manual, and fallow along with it until you have the hang of it....Or you can wait about a week or so for me to write a new Free BSD installation tutorial.

Debian.... Heh, Debian is the exact same as Free BSD in that it wants you to do the isntall a certain way or it will not work.

As for a GUI...You install XFree86 and then type "startx". Free BSD is one of the tricky OSs to install when you are new. I personally screwed up the install twice before I finally put the book down and said the hell with it. After I put the book down, I actually installed it right lol. It was odd.

If you want an "advanced" Linux distribution, I'd suggest Slackware. The problem with Debian is that the packages are old. Because of that, they tend to have security holes :( . I have yet to install Debian, but from what I've heard, it's a nightmare to install. The other OS you downloaded, FreeBSD is wonderful. I've played with it a bit and I've always found it a pleasure to use :). BTW, FreeBSD has a GUI, it only shows up after you install the OS completely and configure X.

Cheers,
cgkanchi

That's odd, FreeBSD was my first install and Debian was my second and I didn't experience any bizarre issues. But, I agree that setting up FreeBSD wasn't a walk in the park either. It took me a while to try to figure out exactly what I was doing and what I was configuring and there was a lot of editing and /stand/sysinstall going on. I think that the reason X isn't integrated into FreeBSD in the install phase is because the BSDs came from a server history, where you didn't really need a gui for anything. My problem is that I have a savage/IX which doesn't have decent support at all. I found a 3rd-party FreeBSD driver and installed it, but to no avail. So, until I come up with $33 to get a Radeon 8500, I'm stuck since XF86 doesn't support my card. But, I agree that installs with a gui are nice and I like to have my hand held when I don't quite know what I'm doing. If you want a version of linux that's really easy to install, I'd recommend Lycoris. It's about the friendliest thing I found.

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If you want a version of linux that's really easy to install, I'd recommend Lycoris. It's about the friendliest thing I found.

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I say that Red Hat 7.1 or 7.2 are by far the easiest to install, if my GF can install Red Hat without asking me for help then that's gotta say something, considering she has trouble installing windows..