ChristopheJunietContributed by Desktop ApplicationsSynopsisFreeBSD can run a wide variety of desktop applications, such
as browsers and word processors. Most of these are available as
packages or can be automatically built from the ports
collection. Many new users expect to find these kinds of
applications on their desktop. This chapter will show you how
to install some popular desktop applications effortlessly,
either from their packages or from the Ports Collection.Note that when installing programs from the ports, they are
compiled from source. This can take a very long time, depending
on what you are compiling and the processing power of your
machine(s). If building from source takes a prohibitively long
amount of time for you, you can install most of the programs of
the Ports Collection from pre-built packages.As FreeBSD features Linux binary compatibility, many
applications originally developed for Linux are available for
your desktop. It is strongly recommended that you read
before installing any of the Linux
applications. Many of the ports using the Linux binary
compatibility start with linux-. Remember this
when you search for a particular port, for instance with
&man.whereis.1;. In the following text, it is assumed that you
have enabled Linux binary compatibility before installing any of
the Linux applications.Here are the categories covered by this chapter:Browsers (such as Mozilla,
&netscape;,
Opera,
Firefox,
Konqueror)Productivity (such as
KOffice,
AbiWord,
The GIMP,
OpenOffice.org)Document Viewers (such as &acrobat.reader;,
gv,
Xpdf,
GQview)Finance (such as
GnuCash,
Gnumeric,
Abacus)Before reading this chapter, you should:Know how to install additional third-party software
().Know how to install additional Linux software
().For information on how to get a multimedia environment, read
. If you want to set up and use
electronic mail, please refer to .BrowsersbrowserswebFreeBSD does not come with a particular browser
pre-installed. Instead, the
www
directory of the Ports Collection contains a lot of browsers
ready to be installed. If you do not have time to compile
everything (this can take a very long time in some cases) many
of them are available as packages.KDE and
GNOME already provide HTML browsers.
Please refer to for more information on
how to set up these complete desktops.If you are looking for light-weight browsers, you should
investigate the Ports Collection for
www/dillo,
www/links, or
www/w3m.This section covers these applications:Application NameResources NeededInstallation from PortsMajor DependenciesMozillaheavyheavyGtk+&netscape;heavylightLinux Binary CompatibilityOperalightlightFreeBSD and Linux versions available. The Linux
version depends on the Linux Binary Compatibility and
linux-openmotif.FirefoxmediumheavyGtk+KonquerormediumheavyKDE LibrariesMozillaMozillaMozilla is perhaps the most
suitable browser for your FreeBSD Desktop. It is modern,
stable, and fully ported to FreeBSD. It features a very
standards-compliant HTML display engine. It provides a mail
and news reader. It even has a HTML composer if you plan to
write some web pages yourself. Users of
&netscape; will recognize the
similarities with Communicator
suite, as both browsers shared the same basis.On slow machines, with a CPU speed less than 233MHz or
with less than 64MB of RAM, Mozilla
can be too resource-consuming to be fully usable. You may
want to look at the Opera browser
instead, described a little later in this chapter.If you cannot or do not want to compile
Mozilla for any reason, the FreeBSD
GNOME team has already done this for you. Just install the
package from the network by:&prompt.root; pkg_add -r mozillaIf the package is not available, and you have enough time
and disk space, you can get the source for
Mozilla, compile it and install it
on your system. This is accomplished by:&prompt.root; cd /usr/ports/www/mozilla
&prompt.root; make install cleanThe Mozilla port ensures a
correct initialization by running the chrome registry setup
with root privileges. However, if you
want to fetch some add-ons like mouse gestures, you must run
Mozilla as
root to get them properly
installed.Once you have completed the installation of
Mozilla, you do not need to be
root any longer. You can start
Mozilla as a browser by typing:&prompt.user; mozillaYou can start it directly as a mail and news reader as
shown below:&prompt.user; mozilla -mailTomRhodesContributed by Mozilla, &java;, and ¯omedia; &flash;Installing Mozilla is simple, but
unfortunately installing Mozilla with
support for add-ons like &java; and
¯omedia; &flash;
consumes both time and disk
space.The first thing is to download the files which will be used
with Mozilla. Take your current web
browser up to
and
create an account on their website. Remember to save the username
and password from here as it may be needed in the future. Download
a copy of the file j2sdk-1_3_1-src.tar.gz and place this in
/usr/ports/distfiles/ as the port will not
fetch it automatically. This is due to license restrictions. While
we are here, download the java environment from
.
The filename is j2sdk-1_3_1_08-linux-i586.bin and is large (about 25
megabytes!). Like before, this file must be placed into
/usr/ports/distfiles/. Finally download a copy
of the java patchkit from
and place it
into /usr/ports/distfiles/.Install the java/jdk13 port
with the standard make install clean and
then install the www/flashpluginwrapper
port. This port requires
emulators/linux_base which is a
large port. True that other &flash; plugins exist, however they have
not worked for me.Install the www/mozilla port,
if Mozilla is not already installed.Now copy the &flash; plug-in files with:&prompt.root; cp /usr/local/lib/flash/libflashplayer.so \
/usr/X11R6/lib/browser_plugins/libflashplayer_linux.so&prompt.root; cp /usr/local/lib/flash/ShockwaveFlash.class \
/usr/X11R6/lib/browser_plugins/Now add the following lines to the top of (but right under
#!/bin/sh) Mozilla startup script:
/usr/X11R6/bin/mozilla.LD_PRELOAD=/usr/local/lib/libflashplayer.so.1
export LD_PRELOADThis will enable the &flash; plug-in.Now just start Mozilla with:&prompt.user; mozilla &And access the About Plug-ins option from the
Help menu. A list should appear with all the currently
available plugins. &java; and
&shockwave; &flash; should both be listed.&netscape;NetscapeThe Ports Collection contains several versions of the
&netscape; browser. Since the native FreeBSD ones contain a
serious security bug, installing them is strongly
discouraged. Instead, use a more recent Linux or DIGITAL UNIX
version.The latest stable release of the &netscape; browser is
&netscape; 7. It can be installed
from the Ports Collection:&prompt.root; cd /usr/ports/www/netscape7
&prompt.root; make install clean&netscape; 4.x versions are not
recommended because they are not compliant with today's
standards. However, &netscape; 7.x
and newer versions are only available for the &i386;
platform.OperaOperaOpera is a very fast,
full-featured, and standards-compliant browser. It comes in
two favors: a native FreeBSD version and a
version that runs under Linux emulation.
For each operating system, there is a no-cost version of the
browser that displays advertising and an ad-free
version that can be purchased on the Opera web site.To browse the Web with the FreeBSD version of Opera,
install the package:&prompt.root; pkg_add -r operaSome FTP sites do not have all the packages, but the same
result can be obtained with the Ports Collection by
typing:&prompt.root; cd /usr/ports/www/opera
&prompt.root; make install cleanTo install the Linux version of
Opera, substitute
linux-opera in place of
opera in the examples above. The Linux
version is useful in situations requiring the use of plug-ins
that are only available for Linux, such as Adobe
&acrobat.reader;. In all other respects, the
FreeBSD and Linux versions appear to be functionally
identical.FirefoxFirefoxFirefox is the next-generation
browser based on the Mozilla
codebase. Mozilla is a complete
suite of applications, such as a browser, a mail client, a chat
client and much more. Firefox is
just a browser, which makes it smaller and faster.Install the package by typing:&prompt.root; pkg_add -r firefoxYou can also use the Ports Collection if you
prefer to compile from source code:&prompt.root; cd /usr/ports/www/firefox
&prompt.root; make install cleanKonquerorKonquerorKonqueror is part of
KDE but it can also be used outside
of KDE by installing
x11/kdebase3.
Konqueror is much more than a browser,
it is also a file manager and a multimedia viewer.Konqueror also comes with a set of plugins,
available in misc/konq-plugins.Konqueror also supports &flash; and a How To
is available at .ProductivityWhen it comes to productivity, new users often look for a
good office suite or a friendly word processor. While some
desktop environments like
KDE already provide an office suite,
there is no default application. FreeBSD provides all that is
needed, regardless of your desktop environment.This section covers these applications:Application NameResources NeededInstallation from PortsMajor DependenciesKOfficelightheavyKDEAbiWordlightlightGtk+ or GNOMEThe GimplightheavyGtk+OpenOffice.orgheavyhugeGCC 3.1, &jdk; 1.3, MozillaKOfficeKOfficeoffice suiteKOfficeThe KDE community has provided its desktop environment
with an office suite which can be used outside
KDE. It includes the four standard
components that can be found in other office suites.
KWord is the word processor,
KSpread is the spreadsheet program,
KPresenter manages slide
presentations, and Kontour lets you
draw graphical documents.Before installing the latest
KOffice, make sure you have an
up-to-date version of KDE.To install KOffice as a
package, issue the following command:&prompt.root; pkg_add -r kofficeIf the package is not available, you can use the ports
collection. For instance, to install
KOffice for
KDE3, do:&prompt.root; cd /usr/ports/editors/koffice-kde3
&prompt.root; make install cleanAbiWordAbiWordAbiWord is a free word
processing program similar in look and feel to µsoft; Word.
It is suitable for typing papers, letters, reports, memos, and
so forth. It is very fast, contains many features, and is
very user-friendly.AbiWord can import or export
many file formats, including some proprietary ones like
Microsoft .doc.AbiWord is available as a
package. You can install it by:&prompt.root; pkg_add -r abiwordIf the package is not available, it can be compiled from
the Ports Collection. The Ports Collection should be more
up to date. It can be done as follows:&prompt.root; cd /usr/ports/editors/abiword
&prompt.root; make install cleanThe GIMPThe GIMPFor image authoring or picture retouching,
The GIMP is a very sophisticated
image manipulation program. It can be used as a simple paint
program or as a quality photo retouching suite. It supports a
large number of plug-ins and features a scripting interface.
The GIMP can read and write a wide
range of file formats. It supports interfaces with scanners
and tablets.You can install the package by issuing this
command:&prompt.root; pkg_add -r gimpIf your FTP site does not have this package, you can use
the Ports Collection. The
graphics
directory of the Ports Collection also contains
The Gimp Manual. Here is how to
get them installed:&prompt.root; cd /usr/ports/graphics/gimp
&prompt.root; make install clean
&prompt.root; cd /usr/ports/graphics/gimp-manual-pdf
&prompt.root; make install cleanThe
graphics
directory of the Ports Collection holds the development
version of The GIMP in
graphics/gimp-devel.
An HTML version of
The Gimp Manual is available from
graphics/gimp-manual-html.OpenOffice.orgOpenOffice.orgoffice suiteOpenOffice.orgOpenOffice.org includes all of the
mandatory applications in a complete office productivity
suite: a word processor, a spreadsheet, a presentation manager,
and a drawing program. Its user interface is very similar
to other office suites, and it can import and export in various
popular file formats. It is available in a number of
different languages including interfaces, spell checkers, and
dictionaries.The word processor of
OpenOffice.org uses a native XML
file format for increased portability and flexibility. The
spreadsheet program features a macro language and it can be
interfaced with external databases.
OpenOffice.org is already stable
and runs natively on &windows;, &solaris;, Linux, FreeBSD,
and &macos; X. More
information about OpenOffice.org
can be found on the
OpenOffice web site.
For FreeBSD specific information, and to directly
download packages use the FreeBSD OpenOffice
Porting Team's web site.To install OpenOffice.org,
do:&prompt.root; pkg_add -r openofficeWhen running a -RELEASE version of &os;, this should work.
Otherwise, you should look on the &os; OpenOffice Porting Team's
web site to download and install the appropriate package
using &man.pkg.add.1;. Both the current release and
development version are available for download at this
location.Once the package is installed, you must run the setup
program and choose a .
Run this command as the user who will use
OpenOffice.org:&prompt.user; openoffice-setupIf the OpenOffice.org packages
are not available, you still have the option to compile the
port. However, you must bear in mind that it requires a lot of
disk space and a fairly long time to compile.&prompt.root; cd /usr/ports/editors/openoffice-1.1
&prompt.root; make install cleanOnce this is done, run the setup as the user who will use
OpenOffice.org and choose a
by:&prompt.user; cd /usr/ports/editors/openoffice-1.1
&prompt.user; make install-userIf you want to use a localized version, here are the available
ports:LanguagePortCatalaneditors/openoffice-1.1-caCzecheditors/openoffice-1.1-csDanisheditors/openoffice-1.1-dkGreekeditors/openoffice-1.1-elSpanisheditors/openoffice-1.1-esEstonianeditors/openoffice-1.1-etFinnisheditors/openoffice-1.1-fiItalianeditors/openoffice-1.1-itDutcheditors/openoffice-1.1-nlSwedisheditors/openoffice-1.1-seSlovakeditors/openoffice-1.1-skSlovenianeditors/openoffice-1.1-sl_SITurkisheditors/openoffice-1.1-trArabicarabic/openoffice-1.1Chinese (Simplified)chinese/openoffice-1.1-zh_CNChinese (Traditional)chinese/openoffice-1.1-zh_TWFrenchfrench/openoffice-1.1Germangerman/openoffice-1.1Hungarianhungarian/openoffice-1.1Japanesejapanese/openoffice-1.1Koreankorean/openoffice-1.1Polishpolish/openoffice-1.1Portuguese (Brazil)portuguese/openoffice-1.1-pt_BRPortugueseportuguese/openoffice-1.1-pt_PTRussianrussian/openoffice-1.1Document ViewersSome new document formats have recently gained popularity.
The standard viewers they require may not be available in the
base system. We will see how to install them in this
section.This section covers these applications:Application NameResources NeededInstallation from PortsMajor Dependencies&acrobat.reader;lightlightLinux Binary CompatibilitygvlightlightXaw3dXpdflightlightFreeTypeGQviewlightlightGtk+ or GNOME&acrobat.reader;Acrobat ReaderPDFviewingMany documents are now distributed as PDF files,
which stands for Portable Document Format. One
of the recommended viewers for these types of files is
&acrobat.reader;, released by Adobe
for Linux. As FreeBSD can run Linux binaries, it is also
available for FreeBSD.To install the &acrobat.reader; 5
package, do:&prompt.root; pkg_add -r acroreadAs usual, if the package is not available or you want the
latest version, you can use the Ports Collection as
well:&prompt.root; cd /usr/ports/print/acroread5
&prompt.root; make install cleangvgvPDFviewingPostScriptviewinggv is a &postscript; and PDF
viewer. It is originally based on
ghostview but it has a nicer look
thanks to the Xaw3d library. It is fast and its interface is
clean. gv has many features like
orientation, paper size, scale, or antialias. Almost any
operation can be done either from the keyboard or the
mouse.To install gv as a package,
do:&prompt.root; pkg_add -r gvIf you cannot get the package, you can use the ports
collection:&prompt.root; cd /usr/ports/print/gv
&prompt.root; make install cleanXpdfXpdfPDFviewingIf you want a small FreeBSD PDF viewer,
Xpdf is a light-weight and
efficient viewer. It requires very few resources and is
very stable. It uses the standard X fonts and does not
require &motif; or any other X toolkit.To install the Xpdf package,
issue this command:&prompt.root; pkg_add -r xpdfIf the package is not available or you prefer to use the
Ports Collection, do:&prompt.root; cd /usr/ports/graphics/xpdf
&prompt.root; make install cleanOnce the installation is complete, you can launch
Xpdf and use the right mouse button
to activate the menu.GQviewGQviewGQview is an image manager.
You can view a file with a single click, launch an external
editor, get thumbnail previews, and much more. It also
features a slideshow mode and some basic file operations. You
can manage image collections and easily find duplicates.
GQview can do full screen viewing
and supports internationalization.If you want to install the
GQview package, do:&prompt.root; pkg_add -r gqviewIf the package is not available or you prefer to use the
Ports Collection, do:&prompt.root; cd /usr/ports/graphics/gqview
&prompt.root; make install cleanFinanceIf, for any reason, you would like to manage your personal
finances on your FreeBSD Desktop, there are some powerful and
easy to use applications ready to be installed. Some of them
are compatible with widespread file formats like those of
Quicken or Excel documents.This section covers these applications:Application NameResources NeededInstallation from PortsMajor DependenciesGnuCashlightheavyGNOMEGnumericlightheavyGNOMEAbacuslightlightTcl/TkGnuCashGnuCashGnuCash is part of the
GNOME effort to provide
user-friendly yet powerful applications to end-users. With
GnuCash, you can keep track of your
income and expenses, your bank accounts, or your stocks. It
features an intuitive interface while remaining very
professional.GnuCash provides a smart
register, a hierarchical system of accounts, many keyboard
accelerators and auto-completion methods. It can split a
single transaction into several more detailed pieces.
GnuCash can import and merge
Quicken QIF files. It also handles most international date
and currency formats.To install GnuCash on your
system, do:&prompt.root; pkg_add -r gnucashIf the package is not available, you can use the ports
collection:&prompt.root; cd /usr/ports/finance/gnucash
&prompt.root; make install cleanGnumericGnumericspreadsheetGnumericGnumeric is a spreadsheet, part
of the GNOME desktop environment.
It features convenient automatic guessing of user
input according to the cell format and an autofill system for
many sequences. It can import files in a number of popular
formats like those of Excel, Lotus 1-2-3, or Quattro Pro.
Gnumeric supports graphs through
the math/guppi graphing
program. It has a large number of built-in functions and
allows all of the usual cell formats such as number, currency,
date, time, and much more.To install Gnumeric as a
package, type in:&prompt.root; pkg_add -r gnumericIf the package is not available, you can use the ports
collection by doing:&prompt.root; cd /usr/ports/math/gnumeric
&prompt.root; make install cleanAbacusAbacusspreadsheetAbacusAbacus is a small and easy to
use spreadsheet. It includes many built-in functions useful
in several domains such as statistics, finances, and
mathematics. It can import and export the Excel file format.
Abacus can produce &postscript;
output.To install Abacus from its
package, do:&prompt.root; pkg_add -r abacusIf the package is not available, you can use the ports
collection by doing:&prompt.root; cd /usr/ports/deskutils/abacus
&prompt.root; make install cleanSummaryWhile FreeBSD is popular among ISPs for its performance and
stability, it is quite ready for day-to-day use as a desktop.
With several thousand applications available as
packages or
ports,
you can build a perfect desktop that suits all your needs.Once you have achieved the installation of your desktop, you
may want to go one step further with
misc/instant-workstation.
This meta-port allows you to build a typical set
of ports for a workstation. You can customize it by editing
/usr/ports/misc/instant-workstation/Makefile.
Follow the syntax used for the default set to add or remove
ports, and build it with the usual procedure.
Eventually, you will be able to create a big package that
corresponds to your very own desktop and install it to your
other workstations!Here is a quick review of all the desktop applications
covered in this chapter:Application NamePackage NamePorts NameMozillamozillawww/mozilla&netscape;linux-netscape7www/netscape7Operaoperawww/operaFirefoxfirefoxwww/firefoxKOfficekoffice-kde3editors/koffice-kde3AbiWordabiwordeditors/abiwordThe GIMPgimpgraphics/gimpOpenOffice.orgopenofficeeditors/openoffice-1.1&acrobat.reader;acroreadprint/acroread5gvgvprint/gvXpdfxpdfgraphics/xpdfGQviewgqviewgraphics/gqviewGnuCashgnucashfinance/gnucashGnumericgnumericmath/gnumericAbacusabacusdeskutils/abacus