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+title = "Absolute FreeBSD"
+author = ["Michał Sapka"]
+date = 2024-03-28T22:08:00+01:00
+categories = ["blog"]
+draft = false
+weight = 2001
+abstract = "The ultimate guide to FreeBSD"
++++
+
+I may have been a BSD devotee for almost year, but I have close to zero knowledge about it.
+I get by, I see the benefits, but it's all surface level.
+It was the same when it came to Linux - I can _use_ Linux, but I don't _know_ Linux.
+
+Absolute FreeBSD is a Tour de France of FreeBSD.
+You get to know how the OS operates, what tools are provided, and to use it effectively.
+
+Let's star with the bad as I have two gripes with it.
+
+{{< img-r "mwl-absolute-freebsd.jpg" >}}
+Cover
+{{< /img-r >}}
+
+First, only halfway through MWL informs the reader that it's aimed at _server administrators_.
+I am primarily a PC user of FreeBSD, so not all the knowledge is usable.
+Counter argument: if you run FreeBSD, out of all other OSes, there is a huge chance that you will want to know it's ins-and-outs.
+
+The second: this book is partially an advert.
+MWL wrote a lot of other books which deepen knowledge one might get from this book - Jails, ZFS and other file systems.
+Those are huge subjects and they well deserve a dedicated book each, but even though we have _Absolute_ book here, it is not absolute.
+It is especially visible in the chapter about Jails - the reader learns that such things exists, how to use it (on a superficial level) but that's it.
+Want to use Jails?
+Better get yourself _FreeBSD Mastery: Jails_.
+
+For the rest of this review let's ignore the _absolute_ claim and look at the book for what it is.
+And what is, is nothing short of amazing.
+
+We start with learning what FreeBSD is, why to use it, and how to install it.
+All of those go much deeper than the official _Guide_ go.
+
+After this brief (if 100 pages can be considered brief) introduction we are thrown at the deepest pits of _FreeBSD_.
+We have no idea how to use it, but MWL jumps into the booting process.
+It makes sense as not using SystemD is one of the most praised elements of BSDs, but I would have expected learning how to install a program.
+Nope!
+It' rc time!
+
+Having read the book in it's entirety, it makes a lot of sense, but when I was reading it, it made little sense.
+MWL shows the new administrator how the OS _operates_ before showing how to _operate it_.
+To be an effective administrator, one needs to know the _whats_ more than _hows_.
+It's much easier to do something, when one has the base knowledge.
+
+Then we jump to backing up the OS.
+Surely, any administrator needs to know how to do it[^fn:1].
+It's one of those things, which are impossible to fix _during_ an outage.
+
+The next few chapters were especially challenging for me.
+Ever tried to recompile a kernel?
+Let's learn how to recompile a custom one.
+Ever wondered how networking works?
+Let's talk about networking in _FreeBSD_.
+Want to have a secure system?
+Sure you do, there's a chapter for you!
+Interested in how the disc is used?
+ZFS, UFS and other acronyms?
+Here you go!
+There's a lot of info on how data becomes 1s and 0s on a disc.
+MWL even throws tidbits of historical knowledge, as one may encounter such systems.
+
+We are now on page 371, the middle point.
+The reader proved himself worthy and the plot thickens.
+Time to learn how to use the OS!
+And we start with a great surprise: in my Linux days, the `/etc` was always a labyrinth of random files.
+For _FreeBSD_ we've got an in-depth analysis of everything that the default installation throws there.
+And after that we **finally** learn how to install Firefox in a chapter called "Making Your System Useful".
+After that we're wrapping up with upgrading system and erratas plus advanced topics for specific installs - like email send-out or DHCP.
+We end with the (aforementioned) Jails and information about how to engage with the community and involve yourself with FreeBSD development.
+
+Is _Absolute FreeBSD_ and absolute book?
+Nope.
+That's false advertising.
+I'd be pretty angry if the book wasn't as good as it is.
+It made FreeBSD the _comfiest_ OS I've ever used.
+Nowhere else has a single book gave me enough confidence in my ability of no only not breaking the system, but to fix it.
+
+Essential read.
+I give it a 4.75/5.
+
+
+## Meta {#meta}
+
+-   Read as PDF on Onyx Boox Note Air 2.
+-   Issues bought from Humble Bundle
+-   Next up: back to "The C programming language" by K&amp;R.
+
+Wish me luck!
+
+[^fn:1]: You guessed it, There is related a book and it's amazing! Vide [Tarsnap mastery](https://www.tiltedwindmillpress.com/product/tarsnap-mastery-online-backups-for-the-truly-paranoid/)