c35b785748
release documentation, in advance of the release. Not hooked up to the Web site build, nor visible from any Web pages yet. These files may be regenerated before the release date if required.
512 lines
22 KiB
HTML
512 lines
22 KiB
HTML
<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD HTML 4.01 Transitional//EN">
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<html>
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<head>
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<meta name="generator" content="HTML Tidy, see www.w3.org">
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<title>FreeBSD 4.7-RELEASE README</title>
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<meta name="GENERATOR" content=
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"Modular DocBook HTML Stylesheet Version 1.73 ">
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<link rel="STYLESHEET" type="text/css" href="docbook.css">
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</head>
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<body class="ARTICLE" bgcolor="#FFFFFF" text="#000000" link=
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"#0000FF" vlink="#840084" alink="#0000FF">
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<div class="ARTICLE">
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<div class="TITLEPAGE">
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<h1 class="TITLE"><a name="AEN2">FreeBSD 4.7-RELEASE
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README</a></h1>
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<h3 class="CORPAUTHOR">The FreeBSD Project</h3>
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<p class="COPYRIGHT">Copyright © 2000, 2001, 2002 by
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The FreeBSD Documentation Project</p>
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<p class="PUBDATE">$FreeBSD:
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src/release/doc/en_US.ISO8859-1/readme/article.sgml,v
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1.1.2.14 2002/03/26 20:28:56 keramida Exp $<br>
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</p>
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<hr>
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</div>
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<blockquote class="ABSTRACT">
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<div class="ABSTRACT">
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<a name="AEN11"></a>
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<p>This document gives a brief introduction to FreeBSD
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4.7-RELEASE. It includes some information on how to
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obtain FreeBSD, a listing of various ways to contact the
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FreeBSD Project, and pointers to some other sources of
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information.</p>
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</div>
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</blockquote>
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<div class="SECT1">
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<hr>
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<h1 class="SECT1"><a name="AEN13">1 Introduction</a></h1>
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<p>This distribution is a release of FreeBSD 4.7-RELEASE,
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the latest point along the 4-STABLE branch.</p>
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<div class="SECT2">
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<hr>
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<h2 class="SECT2"><a name="AEN16">1.1 About
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FreeBSD</a></h2>
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<p>FreeBSD is an operating system based on 4.4 BSD Lite
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for Intel, AMD, Cyrix or NexGen ``x86'' based PC hardware
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and Compaq (formerly DEC) Alpha computers. Versions for
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the IA64, PowerPC, and Sparc64 architectures are
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currently under development as well. FreeBSD works with a
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wide variety of peripherals and configurations and can be
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used for everything from software development to games to
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Internet Service Provision.</p>
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<p>This release of FreeBSD contains everything you need
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to run such a system, including full source code for the
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kernel and all utilities in the base distribution. With
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the source distribution installed, you can literally
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recompile the entire system from scratch with one
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command, making it ideal for students, researchers, or
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users who simply want to see how it all works.</p>
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<p>A large collection of third-party ported software (the
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``Ports Collection'') is also provided to make it easy to
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obtain and install all your favorite traditional UNIX
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utilities for FreeBSD. Each ``port'' consists of a set of
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scripts to retrieve, configure, build, and install a
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piece of software, with a single command. Over 7,600
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ports, from editors to programming languages to graphical
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applications, make FreeBSD a powerful and comprehensive
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operating environment that extends far beyond what's
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provided by many commercial versions of UNIX. Most ports
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are also available as pre-compiled ``packages'', which
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can be quickly installed from the installation
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program.</p>
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</div>
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<div class="SECT2">
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<hr>
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<h2 class="SECT2"><a name="AEN25">1.2 Target
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Audience</a></h2>
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<p>This release of FreeBSD is suitable for all users. It
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has undergone a period of testing and quality assurance
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checking to ensure the highest reliability and
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dependability.</p>
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</div>
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</div>
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<div class="SECT1">
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<hr>
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<h1 class="SECT1"><a name="AEN28">2 Obtaining
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FreeBSD</a></h1>
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<p>FreeBSD may be obtained in a variety of ways. This
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section focuses on those ways that are primarily useful for
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obtaining a complete FreeBSD distribution, rather than
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updating an existing installation.</p>
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<div class="SECT2">
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<hr>
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<h2 class="SECT2"><a name="AEN31">2.1 CDROM and
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DVD</a></h2>
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<p>FreeBSD -RELEASE distributions may be ordered on CDROM
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or DVD from several publishers. This is frequently the
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most convenient way to obtain FreeBSD for new
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installations, as it provides a convenient way to quickly
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reinstall the system if necessary. Some distributions
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include some of the optional, precompiled ``packages''
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from the FreeBSD Ports Collection.</p>
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<p>A list of the CDROM and DVD publishers known to the
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project are listed in the <a href=
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"http://www.FreeBSD.org/doc/en_US.ISO8859-1/books/handbook/mirrors.html"
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target="_top">``Obtaining FreeBSD''</a> appendix to the
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Handbook.</p>
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</div>
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<div class="SECT2">
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<hr>
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<h2 class="SECT2"><a name="AEN38">2.2 FTP</a></h2>
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<p>You can use FTP to retrieve FreeBSD and any or all of
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its optional packages from <a href=
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"ftp://ftp.FreeBSD.org/" target=
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"_top">ftp://ftp.FreeBSD.org/</a>, which is the official
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FreeBSD release site, or any of its ``mirrors''.</p>
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<p>Lists of locations that mirror FreeBSD can be found in
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the <a href=
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"http://www.FreeBSD.org/doc/en_US.ISO8859-1/books/handbook/mirrors-ftp.html"
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target="_top">FTP Sites</a> section of the Handbook, or
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on the <a href="http://www.freebsdmirrors.org/" target=
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"_top">http://www.freebsdmirrors.org/</a> Web pages.
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Finding a close (in networking terms) mirror from which
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to download the distribution is highly recommended.</p>
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<p>Additional mirror sites are always welcome. Contact
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<tt class="EMAIL"><<a href=
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"mailto:freebsd-admin@FreeBSD.org">freebsd-admin@FreeBSD.org</a>></tt>
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for more details on becoming an official mirror site.</p>
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<p>Mirrors generally contain the floppy disk images
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necessary to begin an installation, as well as the
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distribution files needed for the install process itself.
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Many mirrors also contain the ISO images necessary to
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create a CDROM of a FreeBSD release.</p>
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</div>
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</div>
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<div class="SECT1">
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<hr>
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<h1 class="SECT1"><a name="CONTACTING">3 Contacting the
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FreeBSD Project</a></h1>
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<div class="SECT2">
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<h2 class="SECT2"><a name="AEN51">3.1 Email and Mailing
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Lists</a></h2>
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<p>For any questions or general technical support issues,
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please send mail to the FreeBSD general questions mailing
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list <tt class="EMAIL"><<a href=
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"mailto:freebsd-questions@FreeBSD.org">freebsd-questions@FreeBSD.org</a>></tt>.</p>
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<p>If you are tracking the -STABLE development efforts,
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you <span class="emphasis"><i class=
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"EMPHASIS">must</i></span> join the FreeBSD-STABLE
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mailing list <tt class="EMAIL"><<a href=
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"mailto:freebsd-stable@FreeBSD.org">freebsd-stable@FreeBSD.org</a>></tt>,
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in order to keep abreast of recent developments and
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changes that may affect the way you use and maintain the
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system.</p>
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<p>Being a largely-volunteer effort, the FreeBSD Project
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is always happy to have extra hands willing to
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help--there are already far more desired enhancements
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than there is time to implement them. To contact the
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developers on technical matters, or with offers of help,
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please send mail to the FreeBSD technical discussions
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mailing list <tt class="EMAIL"><<a href=
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"mailto:freebsd-hackers@FreeBSD.org">freebsd-hackers@FreeBSD.org</a>></tt>.</p>
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<p>Please note that these mailing lists can experience
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<span class="emphasis"><i class=
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"EMPHASIS">significant</i></span> amounts of traffic. If
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you have slow or expensive mail access, or are only
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interested in keeping up with major FreeBSD events, you
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may find it preferable to subscribe instead to the
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FreeBSD announcements mailing list <tt class=
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"EMAIL"><<a href=
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"mailto:freebsd-announce@FreeBSD.org">freebsd-announce@FreeBSD.org</a>></tt>.</p>
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<p>All of the mailing lists can be freely joined by
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anyone wishing to do so. Send mail to <tt class=
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"EMAIL"><<a href=
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"mailto:majordomo@FreeBSD.org">majordomo@FreeBSD.org</a>></tt>
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and include the keyword <tt class="LITERAL">help</tt> on
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a line by itself somewhere in the body of the message.
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This will give you more information on joining the
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various lists, accessing archives, etc. There are a
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number of mailing lists targeted at special interest
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groups not mentioned here; more information can be
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obtained either through majordomo or the <a href=
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"http://www.FreeBSD.org/support.html#mailing-list"
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target="_top">mailing lists section</a> of the FreeBSD
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Web site.</p>
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<div class="IMPORTANT">
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<blockquote class="IMPORTANT">
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<p><b>Important:</b> Do <span class="emphasis"><i
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class="EMPHASIS">not</i></span> send email to the
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lists asking to be subscribed. Use the <tt class=
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"EMAIL"><<a href=
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"mailto:majordomo@FreeBSD.org">majordomo@FreeBSD.org</a>></tt>
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address instead.</p>
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</blockquote>
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</div>
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</div>
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<div class="SECT2">
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<hr>
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<h2 class="SECT2"><a name="AEN71">3.2 Submitting Problem
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Reports</a></h2>
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<p>Suggestions, bug reports and contributions of code are
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always valued--please do not hesitate to report any
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problems you may find. Bug reports with attached fixes
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are of course even more welcome.</p>
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<p>The preferred method to submit bug reports from a
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machine with Internet mail connectivity is to use the <a
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href=
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"http://www.FreeBSD.org/cgi/man.cgi?query=send-pr&sektion=1&manpath=FreeBSD+4.7-RELEASE">
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<span class="CITEREFENTRY"><span class=
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"REFENTRYTITLE">send-pr</span>(1)</span></a> command or
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use the Web form at <a href=
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"http://www.FreeBSD.org/send-pr.html" target=
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"_top">http://www.FreeBSD.org/send-pr.html</a>. ``Problem
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Reports'' (PRs) submitted in this way will be filed and
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their progress tracked; the FreeBSD developers will do
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their best to respond to all reported bugs as soon as
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possible. <a href=
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"http://www.FreeBSD.org/cgi/query-pr-summary.cgi" target=
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"_top">A list of all active PRs</a> is available on the
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FreeBSD Web site; this list is useful to see what
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potential problems other users have encountered.</p>
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<p>Note that <a href=
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"http://www.FreeBSD.org/cgi/man.cgi?query=send-pr&sektion=1&manpath=FreeBSD+4.7-RELEASE">
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<span class="CITEREFENTRY"><span class=
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"REFENTRYTITLE">send-pr</span>(1)</span></a> itself is a
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shell script that should be easy to move even onto a
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non-FreeBSD system. Using this interface is highly
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preferred. If, for some reason, you are unable to use <a
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href=
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"http://www.FreeBSD.org/cgi/man.cgi?query=send-pr&sektion=1&manpath=FreeBSD+4.7-RELEASE">
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<span class="CITEREFENTRY"><span class=
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"REFENTRYTITLE">send-pr</span>(1)</span></a> to submit a
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bug report, you can try to send it to the FreeBSD problem
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reports mailing list <tt class="EMAIL"><<a href=
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"mailto:freebsd-bugs@FreeBSD.org">freebsd-bugs@FreeBSD.org</a>></tt>.</p>
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<p>For more information, <a href=
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"http://www.FreeBSD.org/doc/en_US.ISO8859-1/articles/problem-reports/"
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target="_top">``Writing FreeBSD Problem Reports''</a>,
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available on the FreeBSD Web site, has a number of
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helpful hints on writing and submitting effective problem
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reports.</p>
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</div>
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</div>
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<div class="SECT1">
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<hr>
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<h1 class="SECT1"><a name="AEN92">4 Further
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Reading</a></h1>
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<p>There are many sources of information about FreeBSD;
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some are included with this distribution, while others are
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available on-line or in print versions.</p>
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<div class="SECT2">
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<hr>
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<h2 class="SECT2"><a name="RELEASE-DOCS">4.1 Release
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Documentation</a></h2>
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<p>A number of other files provide more specific
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information about this release distribution. These files
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are provided in various formats. Most distributions will
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include both ASCII text (<tt class="FILENAME">.TXT</tt>)
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and HTML (<tt class="FILENAME">.HTM</tt>) renditions.
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Some distributions may also include other formats such as
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PostScript (<tt class="FILENAME">.PS</tt>) or Portable
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Document Format (<tt class="FILENAME">.PDF</tt>).</p>
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<ul>
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<li>
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<p><tt class="FILENAME">README.TXT</tt>: This file,
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which gives some general information about FreeBSD as
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well as some cursory notes about obtaining a
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distribution.</p>
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</li>
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<li>
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<p><tt class="FILENAME">RELNOTES.TXT</tt>: The
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release notes, showing what's new and different in
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FreeBSD 4.7-RELEASE compared to the previous release
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(FreeBSD 4.6-RELEASE).</p>
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</li>
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<li>
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<p><tt class="FILENAME">HARDWARE.TXT</tt>: The
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hardware compatability list, showing devices with
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which FreeBSD has been tested and is known to
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work.</p>
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</li>
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<li>
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<p><tt class="FILENAME">INSTALL.TXT</tt>:
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Installation instructions for installing FreeBSD from
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its distribution media.</p>
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</li>
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<li>
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<p><tt class="FILENAME">ERRATA.TXT</tt>: Release
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errata. Late-breaking, post-release information can
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be found in this file, which is principally
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applicable to releases (as opposed to snapshots). It
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is important to consult this file before installing a
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release of FreeBSD, as it contains the latest
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information on problems which have been found and
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fixed since the release was created.</p>
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</li>
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</ul>
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<div class="NOTE">
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<blockquote class="NOTE">
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<p><b>Note:</b> Several of these documents (in
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particular, <tt class="FILENAME">RELNOTES.TXT</tt>,
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<tt class="FILENAME">HARDWARE.TXT</tt>, and <tt
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class="FILENAME">INSTALL.TXT</tt>) contain
|
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information that is specific to a particular hardware
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architecture. For example, the alpha release notes
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contain information not applicable to the i386, and
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vice versa. The architecture for which each document
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applies will be listed in that document's title.</p>
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</blockquote>
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</div>
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<br>
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<br>
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<p>These documents are generally available via the
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Documentation menu during installation. Once the system
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is installed, you can revisit this menu by running the <a
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href=
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"http://www.FreeBSD.org/cgi/man.cgi?query=sysinstall&sektion=8&manpath=FreeBSD+4.7-RELEASE">
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<span class="CITEREFENTRY"><span class=
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"REFENTRYTITLE">sysinstall</span>(8)</span></a>
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utility.</p>
|
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|
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<div class="NOTE">
|
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<blockquote class="NOTE">
|
|
<p><b>Note:</b> It is extremely important to read the
|
|
errata for any given release before installing it, to
|
|
learn about any ``late-breaking news'' or
|
|
post-release problems. The errata file accompanying
|
|
each release (most likely right next to this file) is
|
|
already out of date by definition, but other copies
|
|
are kept updated on the Internet and should be
|
|
consulted as the ``current errata'' for this release.
|
|
These other copies of the errata are located at <a
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|
href="http://www.FreeBSD.org/releases/" target=
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"_top">http://www.FreeBSD.org/releases/</a> (as well
|
|
as any sites which keep up-to-date mirrors of this
|
|
location).</p>
|
|
</blockquote>
|
|
</div>
|
|
</div>
|
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|
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<div class="SECT2">
|
|
<hr>
|
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|
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<h2 class="SECT2"><a name="AEN132">4.2 Manual
|
|
Pages</a></h2>
|
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|
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<p>As with almost all UNIX-like operating systems,
|
|
FreeBSD comes with a set of on-line manual pages,
|
|
accessed through the <a href=
|
|
"http://www.FreeBSD.org/cgi/man.cgi?query=man&sektion=1&manpath=FreeBSD+4.7-RELEASE">
|
|
<span class="CITEREFENTRY"><span class=
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|
"REFENTRYTITLE">man</span>(1)</span></a> command or
|
|
through the <a href="http://www.FreeBSD.org/cgi/man.cgi"
|
|
target="_top">hypertext manual pages gateway</a> on the
|
|
FreeBSD Web site. In general, the manual pages provide
|
|
information on the different commands and APIs available
|
|
to the FreeBSD user.</p>
|
|
|
|
<p>In some cases, manual pages are written to given
|
|
information on particular topics. Notable examples of
|
|
such manual pages are <a href=
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|
"http://www.FreeBSD.org/cgi/man.cgi?query=tuning&sektion=7&manpath=FreeBSD+4.7-RELEASE">
|
|
<span class="CITEREFENTRY"><span class=
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|
"REFENTRYTITLE">tuning</span>(7)</span></a> (a guide to
|
|
performance tuning), <a href=
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|
"http://www.FreeBSD.org/cgi/man.cgi?query=security&sektion=7&manpath=FreeBSD+4.7-RELEASE">
|
|
<span class="CITEREFENTRY"><span class=
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|
"REFENTRYTITLE">security</span>(7)</span></a> (an
|
|
introduction to FreeBSD security), and <a href=
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|
"http://www.FreeBSD.org/cgi/man.cgi?query=style&sektion=9&manpath=FreeBSD+4.7-RELEASE">
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|
<span class="CITEREFENTRY"><span class=
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"REFENTRYTITLE">style</span>(9)</span></a> (a style guide
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|
to kernel coding).</p>
|
|
</div>
|
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|
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<div class="SECT2">
|
|
<hr>
|
|
|
|
<h2 class="SECT2"><a name="AEN149">4.3 Books and
|
|
Articles</a></h2>
|
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|
|
<p>Two highly-useful collections of FreeBSD-related
|
|
information, maintained by the FreeBSD Project, are the
|
|
FreeBSD Handbook and FreeBSD FAQ (Frequently Asked
|
|
Questions document). On-line versions of the <a href=
|
|
"http://www.FreeBSD.org/doc/en_US.ISO8859-1/books/handbook/"
|
|
target="_top">Handbook</a> and <a href=
|
|
"http://www.FreeBSD.org/doc/en_US.ISO8859-1/books/faq/"
|
|
target="_top">FAQ</a> are always available from the <a
|
|
href="http://www.FreeBSD.org/docs.html" target=
|
|
"_top">FreeBSD Documentation page</a> or its mirrors. If
|
|
you install the <tt class="FILENAME">doc</tt>
|
|
distribution set, you can use a Web browser to read the
|
|
Handbook and FAQ locally.</p>
|
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|
|
<p>A number of on-line books and articles, also
|
|
maintained by the FreeBSD Project, cover
|
|
more-specialized, FreeBSD-related topics. This material
|
|
spans a wide range of topics, from effective use of the
|
|
mailing lists, to dual-booting FreeBSD with other
|
|
operating systems, to guidelines for new committers. Like
|
|
the Handbook and FAQ, these documents are available from
|
|
the FreeBSD Documentation Page or in the <tt class=
|
|
"FILENAME">doc</tt> distribution set.</p>
|
|
|
|
<p>A listing of other books and documents about FreeBSD
|
|
can be found in the <a href=
|
|
"http://www.FreeBSD.org/doc/en_US.ISO8859-1/books/handbook/bibliography.html"
|
|
target="_top">bibliography</a> of the FreeBSD Handbook.
|
|
Because of FreeBSD's strong UNIX heritage, many other
|
|
articles and books written for UNIX systems are
|
|
applicable as well, some of which are also listed in the
|
|
bibliography.</p>
|
|
</div>
|
|
</div>
|
|
|
|
<div class="SECT1">
|
|
<hr>
|
|
|
|
<h1 class="SECT1"><a name="AEN160">5
|
|
Acknowledgments</a></h1>
|
|
|
|
<p>FreeBSD represents the cumulative work of many hundreds,
|
|
if not thousands, of individuals from around the world who
|
|
have worked countless hours to bring about this release.
|
|
For a complete list of FreeBSD developers and contributors,
|
|
please see <a href=
|
|
"http://www.FreeBSD.org/doc/en_US.ISO8859-1/articles/contributors/"
|
|
target="_top">``Contributors to FreeBSD''</a> on the
|
|
FreeBSD Web site or any of its mirrors.</p>
|
|
|
|
<p>Special thanks also go to the many thousands of FreeBSD
|
|
users and testers all over the world, without whom this
|
|
release simply would not have been possible.</p>
|
|
</div>
|
|
</div>
|
|
<hr>
|
|
|
|
<p align="center"><small>This file, and other release-related
|
|
documents, can be downloaded from <a href=
|
|
"ftp://ftp.FreeBSD.org/">ftp://ftp.FreeBSD.org/</a>.</small></p>
|
|
|
|
<p align="center"><small>For questions about FreeBSD, read the
|
|
<a href="http://www.FreeBSD.org/docs.html">documentation</a>
|
|
before contacting <<a href=
|
|
"mailto:questions@FreeBSD.org">questions@FreeBSD.org</a>>.</small></p>
|
|
|
|
<p align="center"><small>For questions about this
|
|
documentation, e-mail <<a href=
|
|
"mailto:doc@FreeBSD.org">doc@FreeBSD.org</a>>.</small></p>
|
|
<br>
|
|
<br>
|
|
</body>
|
|
</html>
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