Desktop ApplicationsSynopsisWhile &os; is popular as a server for its performance and
stability, it is also suited for day-to-day use as a desktop.
With over &os.numports; applications available as &os; packages
or ports, it is easy to build a customized desktop that runs
a wide variety of desktop applications. This chapter
demonstrates how to install numerous desktop applications,
including web browsers, productivity software, document viewers,
and financial software.Users who prefer to install a pre-built desktop version
of FreeBSD rather than configuring one from scratch should
refer to FuryBSD,
GhostBSD or
MidnightBSD.Readers of this chapter should know how to:Install additional software using packages or
ports as described in .Install X and a window manager as described in
.For information on how to configure a multimedia
environment, refer to .Browsersbrowsersweb&os; does not come with a pre-installed web browser.
Instead, the www
category of the Ports Collection contains many browsers which
can be installed as a package or compiled from the Ports
Collection.The KDE and
GNOME desktop environments include
their own HTML browser. Refer to
for more information on how to set up these complete
desktops.Some lightweight browsers include
www/dillo2, www/links, and
www/w3m.This section demonstrates how to install the following
popular web browsers and indicates if the application is
resource-heavy, takes time to compile from ports, or has any
major dependencies.Application NameResources NeededInstallation from PortsNotesFirefoxmediumheavy&os;, &linux;, and localized versions are
availableKonquerormediumheavyRequires KDE
librariesChromiummediumheavyRequires Gtk+FirefoxFirefoxFirefox is an open source
browser that features a
standards-compliant HTML display engine, tabbed browsing,
popup blocking, extensions, improved security, and more.
Firefox is based on the
Mozilla codebase.To install the package of the latest release version of
Firefox, type:&prompt.root; pkg install firefoxTo instead install Firefox
Extended Support Release (ESR) version, use:&prompt.root; pkg install firefox-esrThe Ports Collection can instead be used to compile the
desired version of Firefox from
source code. This example builds
www/firefox, where
firefox can be replaced with the ESR or
localized version to install.&prompt.root; cd /usr/ports/www/firefox
&prompt.root; make install cleanKonquerorKonquerorKonqueror is more than a web
browser as it is also a file manager and a multimedia
viewer. Supports WebKit as well as its own KHTML. WebKit is
a rendering engine used by many modern browsers including
Chromium.Konqueror can be installed as
a package by typing:&prompt.root; pkg install konquerorTo install from the Ports Collection:&prompt.root; cd /usr/ports/x11-fm/konqueror/
&prompt.root; make install cleanChromiumChromiumChromium is an open source
browser project that aims to build a safer, faster, and more
stable web browsing experience.
Chromium features tabbed browsing,
popup blocking, extensions, and much more.
Chromium is the open source project
upon which the Google Chrome web browser is based.Chromium can be installed as a
package by typing:&prompt.root; pkg install chromiumAlternatively, Chromium can be
compiled from source using the Ports Collection:&prompt.root; cd /usr/ports/www/chromium
&prompt.root; make install cleanThe executable for Chromium
is /usr/local/bin/chrome, not
/usr/local/bin/chromium.ProductivityWhen it comes to productivity, users often look for an
office suite or an easy-to-use word processor. While some
desktop environments like
KDE provide an office suite, there
is no default productivity package. Several office suites and
graphical word processors are available for &os;, regardless
of the installed window manager.This section demonstrates how to install the following
popular productivity software and indicates if the application
is resource-heavy, takes time to compile from ports, or has any
major dependencies.Application NameResources NeededInstallation from PortsMajor DependenciesCalligralightheavyKDEAbiWordlightlightGtk+ or
GNOMEThe GimplightheavyGtk+Apache
OpenOfficeheavyhuge&jdk; and
MozillaLibreOfficesomewhat heavyhugeGtk+, or
KDE/
GNOME, or
&jdk;CalligraCalligraoffice suiteCalligraThe KDE desktop environment includes
an office suite which can be installed separately from
KDE.
Calligra includes standard
components that can be found in other office suites.
Words is the word processor,
Sheets is the spreadsheet program,
Stage manages slide presentations,
and Karbon is used to draw
graphical documents.In &os;, editors/calligra can be
installed as a package or a port. To install the
package:&prompt.root; pkg install calligraIf the package is not available, use the Ports Collection
instead:&prompt.root; cd /usr/ports/editors/calligra
&prompt.root; make install cleanAbiWordAbiWordAbiWord is a free word
processing program similar in look and feel to
µsoft; Word. It is fast,
contains many features, and is user-friendly.AbiWord can import or export
many file formats, including some proprietary ones like
µsoft; .rtf.To install the AbiWord
package:&prompt.root; pkg install abiwordIf the package is not available, it can be compiled from
the Ports Collection:&prompt.root; cd /usr/ports/editors/abiword
&prompt.root; make install cleanThe GIMPThe GIMPFor image authoring or picture retouching,
The GIMP provides a 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 plugins and features a scripting interface.
The GIMP can read and write a wide
range of file formats and supports interfaces with scanners
and tablets.To install the package:&prompt.root; pkg install gimpAlternately, use the Ports Collection:&prompt.root; cd /usr/ports/graphics/gimp
&prompt.root; make install cleanThe graphics category (freebsd.org/ports/graphics.html)
of the Ports Collection contains several
GIMP-related plugins, help files,
and user manuals.Apache OpenOfficeApache OpenOfficeoffice suiteApache OpenOfficeApache OpenOffice is an open
source office suite which is developed under the wing of the
Apache Software Foundation's Incubator. It includes all of
the applications found in a complete office productivity
suite: a word processor, spreadsheet, presentation manager,
and drawing program. Its user interface is 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 and internationalization has been extended to
interfaces, spell checkers, and dictionaries.The word processor of Apache
OpenOffice uses a native XML file format for
increased portability and flexibility. The spreadsheet
program features a macro language which can be interfaced
with external databases. Apache
OpenOffice is stable and runs natively on
&windows;, &solaris;, &linux;, &os;, and &macos; X.
More information about Apache
OpenOffice can be found at openoffice.org.
For &os; specific information refer to porting.openoffice.org/freebsd/.To install the Apache
OpenOffice package:&prompt.root; pkg install apache-openofficeOnce the package is installed, type the following command
to launch Apache OpenOffice:&prompt.user; openoffice-X.Y.Zwhere X.Y.Z is the version
number of the installed version of Apache
OpenOffice. The first time
Apache OpenOffice launches, some
questions will be asked and a
.openoffice.org folder will be created in
the user's home directory.If the desired Apache
OpenOffice package is not available, compiling
the port is still an option. However, this requires a lot of
disk space and a fairly long time to compile:&prompt.root; cd /usr/ports/editors/openoffice-4
&prompt.root; make install cleanTo build a localized version, replace the previous
command with:&prompt.root; make LOCALIZED_LANG=your_language install cleanReplace
your_language with the correct
language ISO-code. A list of supported language codes is
available in
files/Makefile.localized, located in
the port's directory.LibreOfficeLibreOfficeoffice suiteLibreOfficeLibreOffice is a free software
office suite developed by documentfoundation.org.
It is compatible with other major office suites and available
on a variety of platforms. It is a rebranded fork of
Apache OpenOffice and includes
applications found in a complete office productivity suite:
a word processor, spreadsheet, presentation manager, drawing
program, database management program, and a tool for creating
and editing mathematical formulæ. It is available in
a number of different languages and internationalization has
been extended to interfaces, spell checkers, and
dictionaries.The word processor of
LibreOffice uses a native XML file
format for increased portability and flexibility. The
spreadsheet program features a macro language which can be
interfaced with external databases.
LibreOffice is stable and runs
natively on &windows;, &linux;, &os;, and &macos; X.
More information about LibreOffice
can be found at libreoffice.org.To install the English version of the
LibreOffice package:&prompt.root; pkg install libreofficeThe editors category (freebsd.org/ports/editors.html)
of the Ports Collection contains several localizations for
LibreOffice. When installing a
localized package, replace libreoffice
with the name of the localized package.Once the package is installed, type the following command
to run LibreOffice:&prompt.user; libreofficeDuring the first launch, some questions will be asked
and a .libreoffice folder will be created
in the user's home directory.If the desired LibreOffice
package is not available, compiling the port is still an
option. However, this requires a lot of disk space and a
fairly long time to compile. This example compiles the
English version:&prompt.root; cd /usr/ports/editors/libreoffice
&prompt.root; make install cleanTo build a localized version,
cd into the port directory of
the desired language. Supported languages can be found
in the editors category (freebsd.org/ports/editors.html)
of the Ports Collection.Document ViewersSome new document formats have gained popularity since
the advent of &unix; and the viewers they require may not be
available in the base system. This section demonstrates how to
install the following document viewers:Application NameResources NeededInstallation from PortsMajor DependenciesXpdflightlightFreeTypegvlightlightXaw3dGeeqielightlightGtk+ or
GNOMEePDFViewlightlightGtk+OkularlightheavyKDEXpdfXpdfPDFviewingFor users that prefer a small &os; PDF viewer,
Xpdf provides a light-weight and
efficient viewer which requires few resources. It uses the
standard X fonts and does not require any additional
toolkits.To install the Xpdf
package:&prompt.root; pkg install xpdfIf the package is not available, use the Ports
Collection:&prompt.root; cd /usr/ports/graphics/xpdf
&prompt.root; make install cleanOnce the installation is complete, launch
xpdf and use the right mouse button to
activate the menu.gvgvPDFviewingPostScriptviewinggv is a &postscript; and PDF
viewer. It is based on ghostview,
but has a nicer look as it is based on the
Xaw3d widget toolkit.
gv has many configurable features,
such as orientation, paper size, scale, and anti-aliasing.
Almost any operation can be performed with either the
keyboard or the mouse.To install gv as a
package:&prompt.root; pkg install gvIf a package is unavailable, use the Ports
Collection:&prompt.root; cd /usr/ports/print/gv
&prompt.root; make install cleanGeeqieGeeqieGeeqie is a fork from the
unmaintained GQView project, in an
effort to move development forward and integrate the existing
patches. Geeqie is an image
manager which supports viewing a file with a single click,
launching an external editor, and thumbnail previews. It also
features a slideshow mode and some basic file operations,
making it easy to manage image collections and to find
duplicate files. Geeqie supports
full screen viewing and internationalization.To install the Geeqie
package:&prompt.root; pkg install geeqieIf the package is not available, use the Ports
Collection:&prompt.root; cd /usr/ports/graphics/geeqie
&prompt.root; make install cleanePDFViewePDFViewPDFviewingePDFView is a lightweight
PDF document viewer that only uses the
Gtk+ and
Poppler libraries. It is currently
under development, but already opens most
PDF files (even encrypted), save copies of
documents, and has support for printing using
CUPS.To install ePDFView as a
package:&prompt.root; pkg install epdfviewIf a package is unavailable, use the Ports
Collection:&prompt.root; cd /usr/ports/graphics/epdfview
&prompt.root; make install cleanOkularOkularPDFviewingOkular is a universal document
viewer based on KPDF for
KDE. It can open many document
formats, including PDF, &postscript;, DjVu,
CHM, XPS, and
ePub.To install Okular as a
package:&prompt.root; pkg install okularIf a package is unavailable, use the Ports
Collection:&prompt.root; cd /usr/ports/graphics/okular
&prompt.root; make install cleanFinanceFor managing personal finances on a &os; desktop, some
powerful and easy-to-use applications can be installed. Some
are compatible with widespread file formats, such as the formats
used by Quicken and
Excel.This section covers these programs:Application NameResources NeededInstallation from PortsMajor DependenciesGnuCashlightheavyGNOMEGnumericlightheavyGNOMEKMyMoneylightheavyKDEGnuCashGnuCashGnuCash is part of the
GNOME effort to provide
user-friendly, yet powerful, applications to end-users.
GnuCash can be used to keep track
of income and expenses, bank accounts, and stocks. It
features an intuitive interface while remaining
professional.GnuCash provides a smart
register, a hierarchical system of accounts, and 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 the GnuCash
package:&prompt.root; pkg install gnucashIf the package is not available, use the Ports
Collection:&prompt.root; cd /usr/ports/finance/gnucash
&prompt.root; make install cleanGnumericGnumericspreadsheetGnumericGnumeric is a spreadsheet
program developed by the GNOME
community. It features convenient automatic guessing of user
input according to the cell format with an autofill system
for many sequences. It can import files in a number of
popular formats, including Excel,
Lotus 1-2-3, and
Quattro Pro. 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:&prompt.root; pkg install gnumericIf the package is not available, use the Ports
Collection:&prompt.root; cd /usr/ports/math/gnumeric
&prompt.root; make install cleanKMyMoneyKMyMoneyspreadsheetKMyMoneyKMyMoney is a personal finance
application created by the KDE
community. KMyMoney aims to
provide the important features found in commercial personal
finance manager applications. It also highlights ease-of-use
and proper double-entry accounting among its features.
KMyMoney imports from standard
Quicken QIF files, tracks
investments, handles multiple currencies, and provides a
wealth of reports.To install KMyMoney as a
package:&prompt.root; pkg install kmymoney-kde4If the package is not available, use the Ports
Collection:&prompt.root; cd /usr/ports/finance/kmymoney-kde4
&prompt.root; make install clean