Installing Software

Application Management
pkg	Software Station	Update Station	Ports	Applications
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Introduction

Most people do not actually use an operating system. They use applications. GhostBSD is designed to provide a desktop and full-featured environment for applications.

"GhostBSD is based on FreeBSD 13.2 STABLE"

Function

GhostBSD supports a wide variety of web browsers, office suites, email readers, graphics programs, programming environments, network servers, and just about everything else you might want.

Ways to get applications

There are different ways to get applications. A small part is preinstalled.
Ghost-/FreeBSD provides two complementary technologies for installing third-party software: the FreeBSD Ports Collection, for installing from source, and packages, for installing from prebuilt binaries. Either method may be used to install software from local media or from the network.

There are a lot of prebuilt packages. You can choose out of more than 30.000 packages.
Some people like to use the command line and others a graphical interface.

Preinstalled Applications

GhostBSD comes with a lot of preinstalled applications, for example:

• Caja
• Firefox
• MATE Terminal
• Pluma
• Rhythmbox
• VLC Mediaplayer

GhostBSD comes with a lot of more applications than your applications list shows you. For some are no launcher during installation but already on your computer. It is recommended to look on page:

• System Administration Utilities

How to find Applications

On GhostBSD are different ways to find an application:

• A good overview you can get on the GhostBSD wiki page: Applications.
• If you know the name of an application, try Software Station.
• The FreeBSD-Handbook, Chapter 4.3, is also a very good starting point.

You have installed an application but no starter is in your application list

• To find the location of your application write the command whereis foo
• Right click on your desktop, take application launcher editing, choose a name and select a command
• Click on the icon symbol and choose what suits you

Manage prebuilt Packages

Using the command line

If you know the package name, open a terminal, change with su and password to user root and use the new generation of pkg.

pkg is already installed on GhostBSD.

Using GUI

• An easy way to get applications, use Software Station. This tool is a graphical front-end for the pkg package manager. It is already installed on GhostBSD.

• In the same way you can get updates, use Update Station. It is also already installed.

• Using OctoPkg to Install Software as an older version of a graphical front-end for the pkg package manager. It is also in the GhostBSD repository, but is no longer standard.

Repositories

The pkg mirrors are located in:

• in France: http://pkg.fr.ghostbsd.org/stable/FreeBSD:13:amd64/
• in Canada: http://pkg.ghostbsd.org/stable/FreeBSD:13:amd64/
• in US: http://pkg.us.ghostbsd.org/stable/FreeBSD:13:amd64/

For upgrading your system chose the nearest mirror to your location.

Use the file: /etc/pkg/GhostBSD.conf

Eric Turgeon, [02.05.20 17:45]
Also if you run a old version of GhostBSD make sure you don't have 2 GhostBSD.conf

• /usr/local/etc/pkg/repos/GhostBSD.conf and
• /etc/pkg/GhostBSD.conf
• unless /usr/local/etc/pkg/repos/GhostBSD.conf contain this https://raw.githubusercontent.com/ghostbsd/ghostbsd-pkg-conf/master/usr/local/etc/pkg/repos/GhostBSD.conf

Eric Turgeon, [30.04.20 21:33]
It was not supposed the be release it is a duplicate of the /etc/pkg/GhostBSD.conf

The file /usr/local/etc/pkg/repos/GhostBSD.conf can sometimes course some trouble.

Using Ports

Most of these applications can be built using the GhostBSD Ports Collection.

Attention: There are a lot of suggestions on the web, not to mix ports and packages. Look this post on FreeBSD Forum.

Shelluser stated in addition [1]: But you need to understand 2 things: Binary packages aren't being maintained by the FreeBSD foundation but individual enthusiasts, who will obviously make sure that those packages support the latest supported version. They come with pre-determined settings which sometimes (most often for me) may not reflect your ideas of a working package. The solution is simple: the ports collection. THAT is the thing which makes those people rant about FreeBSD's flexibility & consistency because you're in control with the ports collection.

There is an explanation why not to mix ports and packages:from Shelluser

It is something to consider.

Using other Ways

The typical steps for installing third-party software on a UNIX® system include:

• Find and download the software, which might be distributed in source code format or as a binary.

• Unpack the software from its distribution format. This is typically a tarball compressed with a program such as compress(1), gzip(1), bzip2(1) or xz(1).

• Locate the documentation in INSTALL, README or some file in a doc/ subdirectory and read up on how to install the software.

• If the software was distributed in source format, compile it. This may involve editing a Makefile or running a configure script.

• Test and install the software.

A FreeBSD/GhostBSD ports are collections of files designed to automate the process of compiling an application from source code. The files that comprise a port contain all the necessary information to automatically download, extract, patch, compile, and install the application.

If the software has not already been adapted and tested on FreeBSD, the source code might need editing in order for it to install and run properly.

See source: FreeBSD Handbook and learn more.

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