FreeBSD or Linux from Windows

[johnjohn]

Many experienced users actually find the opposite* which is why it is still prevalent within the industry.
That said, it is likely exacerbated because good GUIs are so sorely lacking in the open-source world that it inflates the numbers. Who knows?

(* Especially since the invention of <Tab> to autocomplete)


Well that *is* the dream for most people. XP did pretty much everything. With a (logical) air-gap, strong proxy and specific fork of Chrome (supermium), I have managed to keep my father's computer alive so far (He can only log in as an unprivileged user, effectively eliminating malware, but weirdly, due to poor quality backwards compatibility from most developers, I trust that way less malware works on XP these days anyway (C run-times are a fickle mistress...)).


Glad to see you made some good progress with it. One good thing about FreeBSD vs Linux distributions is that it changes way less often. So anything you do learn, stays relevant for often decades. Good luck!

I miss XP in some ways. I still use it in virtualbox. I'm happy for you and your father. Nice story I hope that your father is enjoying it. Best wishes to you and your family.

I could not find a desktop in the repository. I tried all of them in the handbook: pkg install cinnamone, kde, gnome, xfce, mate and i always get a file or directory not found error. I changed the repository to latest and i only found plasma6 so far. I installed plasma6 desktop in virtualbox and it loaded a login screen. However, the screen is black whenever i try to log in. I have to research the problem but it could be a virtualbox issue. I like FreeBSD. The boot process is so dang fast even in virtualbox with 1.748GB of ram. Amazing. I wonder if a native dektop environment exists?

Meantime, i have something to say to everyone about Windows and it also pertains - in a sad way - to FreeBSD. I believe that Microsoft is trying to steer everyone to an online account because they want to convert Windows to a cloud only subscription service in the future. Subsequently, the industry will no longer manufacturer computers. What for? everyone will have to convert to cloud computing where they own us like slaves. New devices can be manufactured. New devices in which you cannot control without regulation. The 'powers that be' will use every sad story that they can to convince everyone that this is best for society (while they drop bombs on women in children in fabricated wars, id est, they only serve their ulterior motives). So i wonder how long FreeBSD and Linux will be around. Perhaps we will lose all private computing capabilities because noone is trying to fight this future vision which is deemed for the better. I will certainly miss computing if we cannot reverse the engines. I'm dropping Microsoft and fighting for private offline pc usage.

 

[kent_dorfman766]

It is interesting though how this thread kind of devolved into a debate about Linux distros. I know, I'm partly guilty...
The key element is that freeBSD is more of a pro-hackers or even just "pros" OS than Linux. IMHO, you cannot come from the windoze environment with the knowledge and expectations from there and fully utilize or exploit either BSD or Linux. You have to adopt the under-the-hood hacker approach.

 

[cy@]

Sorry to put it frankly, but then neither FreeBSD, nor Linux are your choice.

Totally.

UNIX (I include traditional UNIX, Solaris, AIX, the BSDs, and the various Linux distros) is a completely different paradigm than Windows. Because regardless of the windowing environment, a person will eventually have to do something at the command line. For older windowing environments like OpenLook, Motif, CDE, FVWM, and the like, the intention at the time was to provide a somewhat technical user with a graphical interface. The newer windowing environments -- Gnome, KDE, LXDE, XFCE, and their derivitives -- attempt to provide a Windows-like or MacOS like experience. But they fall short in one way or another. Eventually one will need to use a command line interface.

In this regard if a person wants to use a windowing environment that is not Windows or wants to use a UNIX-like O/S without the hassle of a few rough edges here or there, by lack of completeness or by design, MacOS might be a better place to start. (Though cost may be a prohibitive factor.)

For example. My wife is not a computer person. She hates technology. Windows works for her -- most of the time, except for after Patch Tuesday. I would never force a UNIX-like O/S on her. Part of the issue is she's used to Windows. If a person like her is used to the Windows way of doing work on a computer, even switching to MacOS might be too much.

If a person is a pure end-user, consider very carefully before switching platforms. Buyer's remorse is a huge risk. But if a person is intent on making a switch to <name a platform here>, go into it with eyes wide open and give it your best shot, knowing that there will be a signficant learning curve and significant investment in time.

 

[Maturin]

It is interesting though how this thread kind of devolved into a debate about Linux distros.

Eventually most non-talking-about-a-specific-technical-FreeBSD-issue threads do.
I can understand any kind of FreeBSD comparing Linux debate, since many (most?) here live in both worlds knowing the pros and cons of each. But what I neither understand nor applaude is to have arguments about different Linux distris. It simply does not belong here. May be it's because within Linux universe there is nothing like this forums? "If you wanna find out which Linux distro suits you best, ask in FreeBSD forums."

 

[Maturin]

a completely different paradigm

That summarizes pretty much in professional words what I tried to explain in more words, so an amateur understands it.
For the rest:
I could write lots of approving additions to your post... - let me summarize like that:
My wife uses a Apple MacBook, 'cause I told her so.

 

[kpedersen]

I believe that Microsoft is trying to steer everyone to an online account because they want to convert Windows to a cloud only subscription service in the future. Subsequently, the industry will no longer manufacturer computers. What for? everyone will have to convert to cloud computing where they own us like slaves.

I used to worry about that and in our little "western ecosystem" it would certainly seem that way. But as soon as you look at the hardware that China is churning out daily, not just SoC but laptops, servers, etc, if Microsoft ever did commit commercial suicide, we would simply buy (more!) hardware from China.

The industry is massive and messy; Microsoft has a big stake in it but only from inertia. Other solutions are very readily available once they drop the ball.

 

[cy@]

That summarizes pretty much in professional words what I tried to explain in (way) more words, so an amateur understands it.
For the rest:
I could write lots of approving additions to your post... - let me summarize like that:
My wife uses a Apple MacBook, 'cause I told her so.

I suggested the same but she was not enamoured any change. Even a change from Windows to MacOS was out of the question. People are comfortable with they are used to. Change one small thing and you have a serious enough POLA violation tantamount to the end of the world. For the sake of peace I don't go there anymore.

 

[kent_dorfman766]

I used to worry about that and in our little "western ecosystem" it would certainly seem that way. But as soon as you look at the hardware that China is churning out daily, not just SoC but laptops, servers, etc, if Microsoft ever did commit commercial suicide, we would simply buy (more!) hardware from China.

The industry is massive and messy; Microsoft has a big stake in it but only from inertia. Other solutions are very readily available once they drop the ball.

Yes but remember your history, which is ripe with the "best" solutions often fading into obscurity while the inferior pathways flourished.

 

[astyle]

I installed plasma6 desktop in virtualbox and it loaded a login screen. However, the screen is black whenever i try to log in.

Sometimes I wonder if you're just venting or actually asking for help in here... Because this particular problem is pretty solvable with a bit of focused research. Did you remember to edit
/etc/fstab as mentioned in the FreeBSD User Handbook? or enable D-BUS? Merely installing the packages doesn't always do this stuff for you, you gotta verify such details as part of troubleshooting.

Yeah, Windows does have its flaws and shortcomings. Things have changed since the days of XP, and the frustrations that I had back then (mostly about software and licensing) - they are actually not applicable to reality of today. Thanks to the Open Source movement, all the software I could ever want is available on both UNIX and Windows. Offhand, I'd name VLC and GIMP as examples of useful software available on both platforms.

virtualbox with 1.748GB of ram

Small wonder you get a black screen in VBox - you got less than 2 GB of RAM allocated to VBox, most DE's need more than that.

 

[kpedersen]

Yes but remember your history, which is ripe with the "best" solutions often fading into obscurity while the inferior pathways flourished.

Oh absolutely. The masses will be begging Microsoft to let them access their own files each morning.

But we don't need to worry what the masses do. We got off that treadmill decades ago.

 

[astyle]

Oh absolutely. The masses will be begging Microsoft to let them access their own files each morning.

But we don't need to worry what the masses do. We got off that treadmill decades ago.

Apple does Microsoft one better in this regard.

"Oh, you want to see the files? Make sure you use Files to do that. Oh, you want to open them, too? Make sure you use Pages, we're cutting support for 3rd party apps like Word! Oh, you want to copy them elsewhere? Ah, we just disabled USB ports, and iCloud is your only option."

 

[Maturin]

For the sake of peace I don't go there anymore.

At us the decision was made in XP times. She had the used laptop from her sister. Every few months I had to 'repair' her Windows machine: registry cleaner, disk defragmentation, antivirus software... - the usual.
Once she asked me if she could use my Win XP machine while I clean up her's. When I came back, my screen was overflowing with colorful blinking garbage pop-up windows. 'F#!! What have you done?! Where have you been?!' 'What? I simply used the machine, and surfed the internet, as usual.' That settled it. I made her next computer being soon a MacBook. Since then besides to keep a bit an eye on Time Machine is doing its job, I'm out. I'm not her admin anymore for over eighteen years. While still being overchallenged with such 'hacker tasks' like 'make a copy of that file to USB stick' she can handle it all by herself.

Besides it's a fully GUI usable machine with a better GUI than Windows (what's not? ), coming with a real shell (for younger readers: older Windows' only provided some crippled imitation for not to say 'a joke' of a shell called MS-DOS, preferred to be used in form of a most crippled terminal called 'command prompt'), Apple offers several big advantages over Windows:
It's reliable stable (at least compared to Windows until 7)
You don't need to buy a new machine as often as for Windows (at least in earlier times)
Besides you need way less documenation as for a Windows machine their official help sites are actually usable. Windows official sites to me feel a bit like looking at form sheets of the IRS, while mostly it leads to Microsoft's most popular always suits everything answer: 'ask a friend!' also known as 'fu!'
For practical anything you might need some How-To for Apple provides something even total lay persons can do.
(In contrary to many things from the Linux universe, where even people felt they knew computers run into walls, 'cause documentation is the lowest ignobel job no real hacker condescends himself to (In official docu I actually read things like man pages were BS - facepalm - but they call themselves unixlike. Yeah, sure; obviously grasped unix philosophy to the max.))
And thanks to Time Machine the move to any new MacBook was a quick and foolproof piece of cake: just click the button - voilá - the new one is just like the former one, desktop looks exactly the same, except running on new hardware. Nice!

Apple's downsides are well known: expensive, resist to accept non-Apple, and old-Apple hardware, e.g. by inventing new non-standard-conform interfaces like plug connectors, so trashing up our planet even more just for pure greed, playing Monopoly (again. We already had this in the late 80s, early 90s. Several computer companys, some really good ones like e.g. Commodore, broke. IBM, and also Apple themselves were almost blown out of business then), and all the things astyle, and others summarized.
When my wife got her last new MacBook I was the one who switched it on the very first time: The very first thing before I could do anything else at all, which includes reading the license, was I had to accept the license agreement - without being able to read it first[!]
I once actually read the license agreement of my last iPhone I had several years ago. Unacceptable. No Apple for me since then anymore, ever. Apple and Microsoft are still that big, because most people neither actually read nor take the shit serious they naively agree to. No company would sign a contract like those with any business partner, nor was it named a 'contract'.
For me that settled it again:
My wife's next machine will run FreeBSD - or something based on it.
But still I don't no know how to do it. There are still some flaws to be solved.
So back to topic:

I would never force a UNIX-like O/S on her.

Well, of course not 'force' - urge, convince
Seriously:
FreeBSD can be used by lay people, if there is a root doing the maintenance, like on large multi user unix machines. Since she's pretty much using the same few software packages I think I can handle that.
The real crucial point I see is privacy. Neither she, nor me was comfortable with the idea I had full access to her machine. Well, I already have it now. But sitting physically at one's machines feels otherwise than the idea of some one can log in on your machine any time and roam freely in the background unrecognized.
There is a difference between a private computer, and the company's machine at work. No private stuff belongs on the latter one, and it's one's own stupidity/fault/responsibility if it's done otherwise. I'm talking private here.

My idea was to have \home unaccessable for root, like having it encrypted... - but I'm not really convinced so far with this idea.
Also I may oversee the one point or the other.
Thanks, it's not an urgent task, yet.
But the day will come she need a new machine. And both Microsoft and Apple are competing with ideas how to startle even more benign customers not willing to become unconditional implicit cattle to be milked down to blood.
The day may come they have overplayed their cards and may rethink of how they treat their customers, or die of their own greed. But that's for sure not within the nearest future.

 

[USerID]

Apple does Microsoft one better in this regard.

OS X	86.54%
Unknown	7.71%
Windows	4.49%
macOS	1.12%
Linux	0.14%

Desktop Operating System Market Share in Antarctica - March 2025.
Here's an example of discrimination against penguins! They are displacing the indigenous inhabitants of the continent!

 

[Espionage724]

Apple does Microsoft one better in this regard.

"Oh, you want to see the files? Make sure you use Files to do that. Oh, you want to open them, too? Make sure you use Pages, we're cutting support for 3rd party apps like Word! Oh, you want to copy them elsewhere? Ah, we just disabled USB ports, and iCloud is your only option."

I almost entertained macOS a little bit ago, but making a config.plist just to get to the installer takes more of a novel and specifics than everything I did to get FreeBSD running from scratch

I installed Snow Leopard to an Acer laptop with a few kexts and Clover and don't recall any of that complexity. At some point I guess AAPL,ig-platform-id at 0900A53E for Intel UHD 630 makes sense? unless you have a 620 ( 00009B3E), or if you have a NUC that's one or the other ( 07009B3E).

It'll be cool to know all that for fine-tuning once I get it installed, but I'd like to know if macOS would even work at all before taking the time trying to figure out those magic numbers

 

[modrobert]

I don't hate terminal it is simply a slower way of computing. Hello? typing commands all day is not my cup of tea. I'd have to write scripts to automate alot of stuff but sometimes i enjoy the terminal. By the way, I hate Apple and it would be like moving to a communist nation. No Thanks. You can keep crapple. I'd rather go back to Windows XP. LOL.

I appreciate you taking time to post your opinions. Thank you very much.

I installed FreeBSD on VirtualBox and i tinkered with commands a bit. I'm not a fan of vi, so i installed nano. Then i installed xorg after i adjusted the vhd size and used the service growfs onestart command. I like it for some reason even though it is command based. I made an error and booted as single user but everything was read only. I scratched my head a bit, then rebooted (shutdown -r now). I decided to try multi user boot and voila! I'm in business I really like FreeBSD so far, even though i am new to this system and the non-windows methodology. I will spend some time getting used to this system and maybe i will turn to it in the future. I obviously need time to master the system before making it my normal system. I think that i will go with Linux Mint while i learn FreeBSD in my spare time. I really do like it

Nice, looks like 'twm' based on the screenshot.

Personally I think when you start feeling like you only use the graphical desktop to launch terminals in different ways because this is all you need, and command lines get longer involving pipe and redirections, most of the tools used are text based, that's when you get attracted to operating systems like FreeBSD. At least that's how it started for me, been through SunOS/Solaris in the late 90s and Linux later in life.

Just like you I've been testing FreeBSD in a VM recently and haven't even installed a graphical desktop, not sure if I need it, but probably need something to launch a browser at least when considering FreeBSD as main desktop OS.

What I like so far with FreeBSD is how clean the installation feels, running 'ps' shows minimal amount of processes running by default, configuration is straightforward in a classic way through text files, also impressed by the package management (pkg) and the possibility to use source packages (port).

 

[SDK Chan]

Right, I forgot to mention some things regarding linux, and why I won't use that crap ever again, not to speak of ever recommending it to someone who is seeking a UNIX adventure.


I have particular reasons why no sane person should ever touch that crap:
1) The code of conduct from Coraline Ada Ehmke who is known for destroying open source projects and placing human values wrong.
His/Her CoC doesn't give that person the right to decide over other projects, just because the leader of the project decided to use that kind of CoC.

2) Politic driven development choices.
Well, Linus has his heights and downs, and yes, he is in some point to direct, and maybe he hurts some people with his directness, but he is also direct to himself.
However his actions, and to a very large degree politics driven, have shown that he just doesn't care about code quality.
If not, why did he remove kernel maintainers from the list ?
That action was just unnecessary, and leaves now some drivers in a bad state since the maintainers are no more.

3) Unnecessary, even at some case, disappointing kernel updates.
Why does the community not just hold together ?
Instead discharging building blocks are put into the kernel.
Although I don't agree with Linus on a large extend, I can understand his anger on the 6.15 rc.

4) It is all about distributions, and the main ones are system-D driven.
Of course you have system-D less distros around, but they are only a handful of the whole distro world.
What happens if your favorite distro dies ?
Then you have to move, already learned things about the neat package manager of the old distro, and the ins and outs of the old distro are now a thing of the past.
New distro means a new package manager, a new structure, and new ins and outs you must learn.
Eventually also a new init system, too.

5) Security.
With each year passing I notice that security in linux is not being taken as serious as it should be.
Let us take sedexp (artcile-1, article-2).
Since 2022 it remains in the kernel as malware, and was just noticed last august, I believe.
It doesn't help if it is not noticed, but notice it, and just let that unfixed makes me doubt the security aspect.
If it comes to security now, here is another interesting article about CVEs and how distributors handled them.

My second favorite malware is perfctl designed for linux, and undetected for years (artcile-1, article-2, article-3).

6) Gaming.
I just cannot comprehend all that hype about wine, and how good or even better linux through wine is compared to windows.
Indeed, wine on linux can be better, but you can tweak windows for better performance, and you have 100% game compatibility.
You can play modern games on FreeBSD, too.
Many games which release on PC tend to get a Nintendo switch version, too.
Just grab an emulator, and hallelujah, modern games work on FreeBSD without wine, and with reasonable good performance, too !
If you want to play PC games on FreeBSD without wine, no problem.
Get bhyve, virtualize windows, isolate it, and pass through your gaming GPU.

7) Linux just changes to fast, and it is really annoying.
FreeBSD on that aspect doesn't change at a rapid rate.

So, if you would ask me 10 years before, I would recommend linux, but with all that sh*t which continues to happen around linux, I would say forget it.
Once something becomes mainstream and/or politics gets its dirty hands around a project, it can only grow worse.

 

[johnjohn]

well i am somehow addicted to this FreeBSD like a drug. Honestly, i forgot some of the linux commands because i have alot of FreeBSD commands in my head. I wanted to try a new installation on Mint yesterday and i actually typed sudo pkg install 0.0

I tried OpenBSD last night and i really like the installation process and the security seems to be off-the-radar fantastic but i cannot let go of this FreeBSD. I have no idea why i keep tinkering with it despite being UNIX-stupid and Microsoft brainwashed.

I am trying to learn this system. I am typing this post from Firefox installed on FreeBSD with lxqt desktop. I managed to get the desktop installed and everything seems to be working. However, lxqt has a menu which contains apps that i have not installed. Is this a default design? i thought that the apps would have to be installed to show a list of installed apps. Also, my desktop went black so i have to check my rc file for any problems..

I don't understand why some of you want to be so negative towards a beginner. I am trying to learn this system. I cannot master it overnight folks. And just because i'm a lifelong Windows user doesn't mean that you should disrespect me and suggest that i shouldn't learn how to use FreeBSD. I am trying to learn it. I just completed a fresh installation in virtualbox using the dvd iso and i set evrything up by myself. I didn't ask for help yet, so try to be nicer please.

I do have a question if anyone has time to answer. I am using VirtualBox and i have installed the lxqt desktop. The mouse movement is quite slow/lagging and Firefox scrolling is quite choppy. I assume that this is a virtualbox thing but is it?

I have enjoyed reading all of your recent posts! i will press thanks and like at another time. I am going to make some coffee now and read more about FreeBSD (=my new addiction).

 

[astyle]

Well, in response to SDK Chan 's most recent post here, I'd say it's a bit of a balancing game and looking at things from a different perspective.

In the Linux camp, there seems to be much more freedom to leave a project if you don't like something, fork the code - but then one is stuck on their own filling in the missing details. Maybe that's why the Internet is littered with abandoned Linux distro projects, all slightly different.

In the BSD camp, I do see an appreciation for the discipline. We do have long threads on these Forums discussing the different aspects of development of FreeBSD and related utilities.

I don't understand why some of you want to be so negative towards a beginner. I am trying to learn this system. I cannot master it overnight folks. And just because i'm a lifelong Windows user doesn't mean that you should disrespect me and suggest that i shouldn't learn how to use FreeBSD. I am trying to learn it. I just completed a fresh installation in virtualbox using the dvd iso and i set evrything up by myself. I didn't ask for help yet, so try to be nicer please.

Well, there are good and bad ways to ask for help. If you come in and start venting frustrations, you'll hear the same right back at you. If you come in with a well-prepared request for help, you'll get help. It's all in how you start/conduct a conversation. A lot of your comments have been flamebait. There are better ways to construct comments to reflect your thinking. Basically, think before you post.

I do have a question if anyone has time to answer. I am using VirtualBox and i have installed the lxqt desktop. The mouse movement is quite slow/lagging and Firefox scrolling is quite choppy. I assume that this is a virtualbox thing but is it?

I think that VBox is slow because you allocated less than 2 GB of RAM to it:

in virtualbox with 1.748GB of ram.

Firefox alone requires at least 8 GB to function properly and not be slow.

 

[SDK Chan]

well i am somehow addicted to this FreeBSD like a drug. Honestly, i forgot some of the linux commands because i have alot of FreeBSD commands in my head. I wanted to try a new installation on Mint yesterday and i actually typed sudo pkg install 0.0

FreeBSD is really great in terms of performance, software management, audio system, and emulation performance due to its great kernel scheduler I guess.
Powerd keeps my CPU frequency steady, and resources are managed fine.

I tried OpenBSD last night and i really like the installation process and the security seems to be off-the-radar fantastic but i cannot let go of this FreeBSD. I have no idea why i keep tinkering with it despite being UNIX-stupid and Microsoft brainwashed.

OpenBSD would be my second choice, just because it gives you most sane security options already available.

I don't understand why some of you want to be so negative towards a beginner. I am trying to learn this system. I cannot master it overnight folks. And just because i'm a lifelong Windows user doesn't mean that you should disrespect me and suggest that i shouldn't learn how to use FreeBSD. I am trying to learn it. I just completed a fresh installation in virtualbox using the dvd iso and i set evrything up by myself. I didn't ask for help yet, so try to be nicer please.

That is new to me that people here are negative towards beginners.
I read some comments, and it seems that people try to give you recommendations, or telling their opinion.
My opinion is, dive deep into FreeBSD.
Get your way around the command line, try maybe window managers instead of desktop environments, do some crazy stuff you think you cannot do.
That way you are going to learn a lot in a short amount of time.
If you have the resources available try to build ports, it is a nice experience and will get you an overview of how packages are actually created.
I like to think about ports as stencil objects, cooking receipts, or pages with different stories.
FreeBSD is about trying, tinkering, and imagination, at least it is the way I am seeing things

 

[johnjohn]

My opinion is, dive deep into FreeBSD.
Get your way around the command line, try maybe window managers instead of desktop environments, do some crazy stuff you think you cannot do.
That way you are going to learn a lot in a short amount of time.
If you have the resources available try to build ports, it is a nice experience and will get you an overview of how packages are actually created.
I like to think about ports as stencil objects, cooking receipts, or pages with different stories.
FreeBSD is about trying, tinkering, and imagination, at least it is the way I am seeing things

Your posts are always interesting and informative. I appreciate you taking time to assist. Side note: I appreciate all of you and every comment made thus far. I am just clarifying my point-of-view. No favoritism here.

I was just speaking to my wife about this system and here is something that you should know: somewhere around 2001-2003 i tried a Linux system. I liked using vi and pico versus Windows Notepad. I felt like the commander in chief of my system. I also used a DE(?) called Blackbox (I remember this name is similar but maybe i got it wrong). The Blackbox(?) was just a screen and i had to right-click to use menus to navugate the system in addition to a terminal. Somehow i liked it like a drug. I used it constantly in a dual bott with Windows XP. I would like to find a Window Manager like that old Blackbox but i think that Blackbox was a DE. I do not know as i lacked serious knowledge about computing at this time.

I do not like the Fvwm window manager it feels like that Donkey Kong Country 3 level in the sewers where left is right and right is left. I'm so used to right-clicking for a context menu that i cannot handle the left click scene. I get extremely irritated. I would like some suggestions for a good Window Manager. I am not attached to the eye candy that is icons and "folders" on Windows. I actually prefer cd /path/to/directory and a quick ls to look at the contents versus clicking my way around. I had surgery on my elbow two years ago because i had tennis elbow and sometimes mouse clicking irritates this elbow. I need to get those vi, pico blackbox vibes to come back. I've been drowning in Windows for so long.

So could you recommend a good Window Manager? Also, how do we change Window Managers in FreeBSD? do we need to edit the ./xinitrc file?

 

[Beastie7]

I'm a huge fan of Qtile. It's basically XMonad but entirely written in Python. Configuration is done in Python also. Clean, minimal, full featured, and easy to use.

 

[astyle]

So could you recommend a good Window Manager? Also, how do we change Window Managers in FreeBSD? do we need to edit the ./xinitrc file?

I'd recommend looking at the Screenshots thread to start: Thread freebsd-screen-shots.8877. Click on the very last page and work back until you find something you like.

Most of those window managers are easily installable from ports or packages, just read the relevant chapter in the Handbook on how to install a few examples.

 

[Maturin]

I don't understand why some of you want to be so negative towards a beginner.

Maybe you misunderstood the one post, or the other - or overvalued it.

I agree, sometimes the one or the other post here may come a bit grumpy, which may have several reasons, such as the poster simply had a bad day, or getting tired.
FreeBSD and its community welcomes everybody wants to join, and is really very helpful, patient and understanding with all newbies. But most here are also frankly, which in this case simply means:
We only can tell you, how the game works. It's up to you, and only you who can decide it's your game, or not.
Nobody is pissed when somebody says: 'Nah, that's not my thing.' That's okay. Really. Everybody understands and respects that, without any hard feelings at all. Maybe they come back another time, maybe they don't. Either way is okay. And if some one says 'cool. I wanna try it' it's even better: 'Welcome to it! How can we help?'

But some of us are also a bit sensitive when some one new enters our chess club, never played the game before, and directly at the start begins a discussion about 'wouldn't it be better if the pieces were moved by dice?' or 'I prefer to play Nine men's morris.' Well, yeah, okay then. But for what he or she comes here then?
We had discussions here turned quickly into some ugly flaming and insulting for no reason at all. One tries to explain something frankly, and friendly, and for that suddenly being accused of being impolite, or even arrogant for no comprehandable reason at all. So, sorry if some of us are bit sensitive if a discsussion seems to start smelling like that, and sorry if that was a wrong accusation.

But you may also may see, when you open with

I am definitely not a terminal command typing guy.

and

are you at a bar? drinking in the daytime?

or

I'm Linux Nint user for many Yeats and I am very happy with it.

Edit: Sorry, wrong quote.
and continue with

I do like Mint,

and

I don't hate terminal it is simply a slower way of computing. Hello? typing commands all day is not my cup of tea.

...etc.
you simply shall not expect to be welcomed with open arms on a red carpet by submissive helpers.

But you may also have recognized with several posts by others, there's lots of good will, patience, understanding, friendliness, kindness, and the wish to convince you for FreeBSD, and I also want to join this by:

I also used a DE(?) called Blackbox (I remember this name is similar but maybe i got it wrong).

% pkg search blackbox
blackbox-0.70.1_8 Small and fast window manager for X11R6

I cannot tell if it's what you mean. If so you can use it again on FreeBSD.

 

[astyle]

I like to think about ports as stencil objects, cooking receipts,

I think that you mean 'recipes', rather than 'receipts'. Some words don't have a very straight translation into English

I can tell you were translating from a word that in all honesty means 'prescription' in English... a 'receipt' is more like a log entry for a completed transaction, like what you get after paying for your beer.

 

[Espionage724]

I don't hate terminal it is simply a slower way of computing. Hello? typing commands all day is not my cup of tea.

I find it faster for consistency!

I have a website of copy/paste commands. Here's my notes for osu! (circle clicking music game). Those 3 sets of commands are enough to get it running for anyone on basically any OS that has wine in PATH Linux and FreeBSD. I can go from FreeBSD CURRENT, to Debian, to Kubuntu, Arch, practically any OS that has Wine and can handle basic Bash/sh, and have a 3D game up in minutes (along with testing core-OS stuff like 32-bit loading, OpenGL and SSL)

I reinstall my OS probably weekly. I used to frequently test boot-breaking stuff on a whim and wanted to be able to recover my set-ups as quick as possible. I had app configs and notes in text files on a USB for years, put them on GitHub to share and have easier phone access, and now self-host a wiki (also with notes ).

I can fly through Windows set-up to usable desktop in like an hour, but I like being able to pull-off larger configs through command-line and text copy/paste vs dragging a mouse cursor around Windows GUI. I have Batch files in folders to do it like Linux and FreeBSD.

Basically, Terminal lets you do some convenient stuff

The shell however strangely was very intuitive for me after a few hours of use.
I liked the fact to not to have a file manager, and browsing through directories, just with commands a breeze.
I think a GUI comes in handy if you want to configure really complex things like an emulator or a browser.

I'm having some fun setting up a WoW server at the moment

The project's install guide is all-GUI. I do it majority command-line, and my notes are so good the compile and extraction stuff has worked consistently for months Windows 10 and 11

And I do it mostly the same Linux and FreeBSD. Consistency is pretty fun