Performing an install onto new hardware, for any operating system, can be a chore. With typical BSD installs you can easily get most things configured right away, but if it is a desktop and you want a windowing environment, sound support and all the extras that go with a desktop, you have a good deal of work to do. I have done it many times, often accepting the fact that today, there will be no sound, and moving on to the next thing.

Out of the box I did not have MacOS X pre-installed. I had an iBook with OS9 and the install CD for MacOS X. I had to go through the installation before I had BSD on my new laptop. Fortunately the install was simple. I put in the CD and ran the installer. The biggest decision to make was which disk to install it on. With the one 10gb IDE drive I only had one option and I simply selected it and continued the install. After the installer started I just had to wait for the blue bar to reach the right side of the dialogue box. There was no need to read instructions or research my hardware options. The install was painless and virtually automatic.

In contrast to the alternatives, other BSD's and Microsoft Windows can be more time consuming and potentially frustrating. With BSD systems you need to configure XFree86 which can take several hours to get right unless you are lucky and the configuration tools recognize your video card and monitor. With a Windows installation you still need to install the video driver if it is not recognized with the initial install. Apple is currently using nVidia GeForce2 and ATI Rage video cards which MacOS X recognizes by default. It just works right away, as it should.

Audio is also an issue for other BSD systems and Microsoft Windows. With BSD systems you may not even have driver support and therefore have no sound at all. With Windows you are typically much better off, but there can be some headaches. But again, MacOS X is aware of the hardware before it arrives to your home. As Steve Jobs said at a recent Mac World event, "Apple is the only company left that can take responsiblity for the whole user experience." This means Apple puts the hardware together for you and then they support it. This commitment is apparent once you have a chance to use an Apple product.

Now that I have the system installed I need to reboot into MacOS X and take care of the first priority, networking. Like many people these days, I have a broadband connection. High speed connections typically come with a router which may or may not have PPPoE support. If not, your OS will have to do the work. With MacOS 9 I had to use third-party PPPoE software provided by the ISP, but now that feature is included with a standard MacOS X install. But to make my life a little easier I chose to use a NetGear Gateway Router to handle the PPPoE and Network Address Translation (NAT). With this router I can also run DHCP to auto-configure network systems on my private network. Within moments I had connectivity to the internet.

Since I have MacOS X installed onto a laptop I often move to different networks, like the office or my friend's apartment or my brother's place. I created profiles for each of these locations and with a single click I can change network settings without a reboot. It works amazingly well. Apple went so far as to put it under the Apple menu, inside the Locations menu item where all of these profiles are listed. I just pick one and my network settings change instantly. I cannot stress how nice this simple feature is. With Windows there are no location profiles for networking and you typically have to reboot for changes to take affect. With FreeBSD I have to edit /etc/rc.conf or tinker with ifconfig. Even then I need to make sure my default gateway is set just right. Making such changes can be problematic for a novice. As a part of a popular desktop, it must be easier.

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