GhostBSD is an open source Unix-like desktop operating system based on the latest version of FreeBSD. GhostBSD's goal is to make FreeBSD easy and accessible for the average computer user by providing MATE and XFCE as the default desktop environment, but for now MATE is the only official DE.
GhostBSD comes with a graphical application for installing software and updates, and most of the multimedia codes are pre-installed. The advantage of the OpenZFS installer makes it easy to install GhostBSD on ZFS with a different operating system on the same disk, and is suitable for newbies not familiar with FreeBSD.
With modest hardware requirements, GhostBSD is great for modern workstations and 64-bit single board computer hardware.
The GhostBSD project recently announced the release of GhostBSD 22.06.18, a new version that includes a number of new and improved features, improved Nvidia driver support, and a number of desktop utilities.
System requirements
Below are the recommended requirements.
- 64-bit processor
- 4 GB RAM
- 15 GB free hard disk space
- Network access
Installing the GhostBSD operating system
1. First go to the GhostBSD official website and download Mate Desktop installer for your system architecture, the installation media comes in iso format. So, select and download the installer image of your choice and proceed with the installation.
2. After downloading the GhostBSD install image, create a bootable DVD using any third party bootable software, or if you are using a USB drive for this installation, you can create a bootable USB drive using Unetbootin LiveUSB Creator or any of the bootable USB creation tools.
3. After creating the bootable DVD/USB media, insert the GhostBSD Desktop installer and boot the system from DVD or USB and make sure the BIOS is set to DVD or USB boot priority. After a successful boot, you will be greeted with a loading screen.
Here you will get options to choose from. If nothing is selected, the default graphical installer will be loaded. We're using a graphical install here, so select "Install GhostBSD".
4. On the first home screen, the default language is English. You can use the drop-down menu to select the language you want to install and click Next to continue.
5. Then select your keyboard layout and model from the menu.
6. Setting the correct time zone for your system according to your location will allow it to automatically adjust for any regional time changes and perform other time zone related functions correctly.
7. Select the installation type by selecting "full disk configuration".
8. Select the drive where you want to install GhostBSD.
9. Select an available download option.
10. Next, set the root system password, which is required for system administration tasks such as installing software, configuring the system, and changing user settings.
11. Adding a user, setting the system hostname and shell.
When everything seems perfect, you can click "Next" to start the installation.
12. Once the installation is complete, click the Restart button to reload the GhostBSD installation.
That's all! we have successfully installed the GhostBSD operating system.
Outcome
It's very rare to see a good looking desktop environment on a Unix like operating system, GhostBSD fulfilled our need for a Unix based desktop environment under an open source license.
GhostBSD comes with many packages that can be installed offline or online from the GhostBSD repository. If you're having trouble with customization, feel free to leave your comments using the comment box below.
