Greetings and salutaions..

[Randy Pratt]

On Sun, 22 Feb 2004 18:46:17 -0500 you wrote:
> 
> Howdy everyone,
> 
>     I have finally decided to send a post.  It's been a few months 
> since I have sucessfully installed FreeBSD 4.8 using the boot 
> floppies and the ftp install method.  It took several attempts to 
> do it correctly.  Since that wonderfull day, I have met many great 
> people and, using a unix based IRC client has opened up a world of
> possibilities.

Congratulations and welcome to FreeBSD!

>     I too had no experience, except for MS products, and have had
> an apparently tough time getting acquainted with the 'CLI',  which
> is why I decided to write.

Yes, it does take some time to adjust to using command line but in
the end you may find that its faster than having to navigate a gui
to accomplish the same thing.  Its not always the case, but I've
gravitated toward the command line for most things.

>     I see several people having the same issue(s) I once had.  All
> I can say to other newbies is to simply stick with it.  I spent
> approximately 2 horribly frustrating weeks trying to set up a
> gateway. Without the support of my IRC peers, and some much
> needed advice, I may have fallen by the way side and resorted back
> to M$.

Sticking with a task is definitely good advice.  Walking away and
spending some time thinking about things will sometimes bring
enlightenment.

Your problem in setting up a gateway might be an opportunity to
give back to the community.  I'm assuming that you read the Handbook
and searched the mailing list archives.  If indeed it is a case of
the information missing or not being clear, then perhaps something
needs to be added or changed.  If so, then you could send the 
information to freebsd-doc at FreeBSD.org mailing list.

>     I now have a home network, a personal webserver, and a new,
> clearer understanding of computers in general.  The best part of it
> all is that it was free!!  (minus the obligatory legwork) My
> understandings only continue to improve each day.

Kewl!  It sounds like you've earned the right to do the "Woo Hoo"
dance and pat yourself on the back ;-)  But you're right, its an
everyday learning experience and the more you learn, the easier it
gets to learn more once you've built a foundation.

>     Please consider my post a big 'Thank You' for the entire
> community that actively supports free software and a greater
> understanding of and for the world of computing.

While you're traveling the learning curve, don't forget to have
fun with FreeBSD along the way!

Randy

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