FreeBSD 15.1 lands, but desktop dabblers still have to draw their own GUI – Liam Proven, The Register
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Better laptop sleep and Wi-Fi support make the beastie more portable-friendly, but getting beyond the shell remains a DIY job
Tested with a Core i5-based ThinkPad X220.
Surprisingly:
… The handy optional desktop-installer script is still available, but as far as we can tell, it hasn't been updated for version 15.1 yet. In our testing, it couldn't correctly install a working desktop, and whatever desktop we tried, it failed without giving any visible error. …
Worked around, through manual installation of software, but I'm surprised that it happened.
Cross-post: r/freebsd
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Better laptop sleep and Wi-Fi support make the beastie more portable-friendly, but getting beyond the shell remains a DIY job
Tested with a Core i5-based ThinkPad X220.
Surprisingly:
… The handy optional desktop-installer script is still available, but as far as we can tell, it hasn't been updated for version 15.1 yet. In our testing, it couldn't correctly install a working desktop, and whatever desktop we tried, it failed without giving any visible error. …
Worked around, through manual installation of software, but I'm surprised that it happened.
Cross-post: r/freebsd
RE: https://mastodon.bsd.cafe/@alfonsosiciliano/116817819896561087
@lproven thanks again.
I don't intend to test the desktop-installer package with 15.1 on real hardware. A guess: the semi-technical blurb below might partly explain the problem that you encountered.
Numerous fixes and enhancements reached the ports collection (distinct from base) on 1st June – a combination of <https://github.com/outpaddling/auto-admin/releases/tag/0.8.5> plus <https://github.com/outpaddling/desktop-installer/releases/tag/1.2.0>.
Timing: the changes reached latest, but not quarterly. <https://www.freshports.org/sysutils/auto-admin/#packages>, <https://www.freshports.org/sysutils/desktop-installer/#packages>. They'll hit quarterly in the fourth quarter of 2026.
Defocusing from auto-admin and desktop-installer (in ports) and the future desktop with FreeBSD Installer (in base), here's another strand:
FreeBSD "Multi" Installer at BSDCan 2026 – Alfonso Siciliano
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RE: https://mastodon.bsd.cafe/@alfonsosiciliano/116817819896561087
@lproven thanks again.
I don't intend to test the desktop-installer package with 15.1 on real hardware. A guess: the semi-technical blurb below might partly explain the problem that you encountered.
Numerous fixes and enhancements reached the ports collection (distinct from base) on 1st June – a combination of <https://github.com/outpaddling/auto-admin/releases/tag/0.8.5> plus <https://github.com/outpaddling/desktop-installer/releases/tag/1.2.0>.
Timing: the changes reached latest, but not quarterly. <https://www.freshports.org/sysutils/auto-admin/#packages>, <https://www.freshports.org/sysutils/desktop-installer/#packages>. They'll hit quarterly in the fourth quarter of 2026.
Defocusing from auto-admin and desktop-installer (in ports) and the future desktop with FreeBSD Installer (in base), here's another strand:
FreeBSD "Multi" Installer at BSDCan 2026 – Alfonso Siciliano
@grahamperrin@bsd.cafe @grahamperrin@billboard.bsd.cafe
Who can we tell that they have **picked the wrong desktop?**
Xfce's release cycle is much better synched, and it's simple and light, like FreeBSD. It doesn't depend on systemd, unlike KDE. It is stable and versatile, like FreeBSD. It works well without OpenGL, unlike KDE. It is older and more mature than KDE. It is not likely to abandon other OSes soon, unlike KDE.
Ask @dexter -- I suspect he will agree.
They should have chosen Xfce instead.
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@grahamperrin@bsd.cafe @grahamperrin@billboard.bsd.cafe
Who can we tell that they have **picked the wrong desktop?**
Xfce's release cycle is much better synched, and it's simple and light, like FreeBSD. It doesn't depend on systemd, unlike KDE. It is stable and versatile, like FreeBSD. It works well without OpenGL, unlike KDE. It is older and more mature than KDE. It is not likely to abandon other OSes soon, unlike KDE.
Ask @dexter -- I suspect he will agree.
They should have chosen Xfce instead.
@lproven @grahamperrin @grahamperrin@billboard.bsd.cafe @dexter Actually, KDE is just the first step. The plan is to gradually add more desktop options over time. I’ve attached a preview image below showing the direction I have in mind.
The real challenge is not adding a item in a checklist to select "pkg install kde" or "pkg install xfce". After the call for testing, it became clear that what really confuses users is the installation and configuration of GPU drivers.
The goal of the installer is to automatically detect the hardware, install the appropriate driver, and handle almost all configuration automatically. At the moment, the only significant remaining challenge is NVIDIA GPUs. There is a possible solution described in the slides linked earlier by @grahamperrin
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@lproven @grahamperrin @grahamperrin@billboard.bsd.cafe @dexter Actually, KDE is just the first step. The plan is to gradually add more desktop options over time. I’ve attached a preview image below showing the direction I have in mind.
The real challenge is not adding a item in a checklist to select "pkg install kde" or "pkg install xfce". After the call for testing, it became clear that what really confuses users is the installation and configuration of GPU drivers.
The goal of the installer is to automatically detect the hardware, install the appropriate driver, and handle almost all configuration automatically. At the moment, the only significant remaining challenge is NVIDIA GPUs. There is a possible solution described in the slides linked earlier by @grahamperrin
@lproven also:
https://github.com/FreeBSDFoundation/proj-laptop/issues/28
― the linked 'KDE with Wayland' document puts KDE in context (with Xfce and others).
It's very likely that issue 28, or the linked document, has been in conversation before … I don't expect things such as these to be imprinted upon people's memories
Cc @dexter @alfonsosiciliano @grahamperrin@billboard.bsd.cafe
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