NomadBSD 140R: A Portable and Persistent FreeBSD for Everyone

 

NomadBSD 140R: A Portable and Persistent FreeBSD for Everyone

NomadBSD is a live distribution based on FreeBSD, a Unix-like operating system that is known for its stability, security, and performance. FreeBSD is one of the oldest and most influential operating systems in the history of computing, with roots dating back to the 1970s. FreeBSD is also the base for many other popular operating systems, such as macOS, iOS, and PlayStation. NomadBSD aims to provide a user-friendly and portable FreeBSD experience that can run on any modern computer from a USB flash drive.

History and Team

NomadBSD was started in 2017 by two FreeBSD enthusiasts, mk1 and mntmn, who wanted to create a FreeBSD system that could be used on any machine without installation or configuration. They were inspired by other live distributions, such as Knoppix and Puppy Linux, but they also wanted to leverage the power and flexibility of FreeBSD. NomadBSD is a community-driven project, with contributions from developers, translators, testers, and users from all over the world. The current team consists of four members: mk1, mntmn, Mehmet Mert Gunduz, and Martin Wilke.

Editions and Features

NomadBSD releases are based on the stable branches of FreeBSD, with periodic updates and bug fixes. The latest release, NomadBSD 140R, is based on FreeBSD 14.0-RELEASE, which was released on November 16, 2023. NomadBSD 140R is available for two architectures: amd64 (64-bit) and i386 (32-bit). For each architecture, there are two images: one that uses ZFS as the root filesystem, and one that uses UFS. ZFS is a modern and advanced filesystem that offers features such as snapshots, compression, encryption, and deduplication. UFS is a traditional and simple filesystem that is more compatible with older hardware and BIOS systems.

NomadBSD 140R offers a lightweight and elegant desktop environment, based on Openbox, a minimalistic window manager. It comes with a selection of pre-installed applications, such as Firefox, Thunderbird, LibreOffice, GIMP, VLC, and MPV. It also includes a graphical installer that allows users to install NomadBSD on their hard drives or SSDs, if they wish to do so.

One of the most distinctive features of NomadBSD is its automatic hardware detection and configuration. NomadBSD can detect and load the appropriate drivers for various graphics cards, sound cards, network cards, wireless cards, webcams, printers, scanners, and other devices. NomadBSD can also adjust the screen resolution, keyboard layout, timezone, and locale according to the user's preferences. NomadBSD can remember these settings and apply them automatically on subsequent boots, making NomadBSD a persistent and portable system that can be used on different machines without hassle.

Installation and Troubleshooting

To use NomadBSD, users need a USB flash drive with at least 8 GB of storage space. Users can download the image file of NomadBSD 140R from the official website¹ and write it to the USB flash drive using a tool such as dd, Etcher, or Rufus. Users can then boot from the USB flash drive and enjoy NomadBSD. Users can also customize NomadBSD by adding or removing packages, changing settings, or creating files and folders. These changes will be saved on the USB flash drive and persist across reboots.

The minimum system requirements for NomadBSD are:

- A 64-bit or 32-bit processor with at least 1 GHz of speed

- At least 1 GB of RAM

- A USB port or a USB hub

- A graphics card that supports VESA, SCFB, or a specific driver

- A network card that supports DHCP or a static IP address

- A sound card that supports OSS or a specific driver

NomadBSD is designed to work on most modern computers, but there may be some cases where NomadBSD fails to boot or function properly. Some of the common issues and their solutions are:

- If NomadBSD does not boot or hangs at a certain stage, users can try to disable the automatic graphics driver detection by pressing F1 at the boot menu and choosing the option "Boot NomadBSD (without graphics driver detection)".

- If NomadBSD boots but the graphics are distorted or the screen resolution is incorrect, users can try to change the graphics driver by opening a terminal and running the command `sudo service dm restart`. This will restart the display manager and prompt the user to choose a different graphics driver from a list.

- If NomadBSD boots but the sound is not working, users can try to change the sound driver by opening a terminal and running the command `sudo service mixer restart`. This will restart the sound mixer and prompt the user to choose a different sound driver from a list.

- If NomadBSD boots but the network is not working, users can try to configure the network settings by opening a terminal and running the command `sudo service network restart`. This will restart the network service and prompt the user to choose a network interface and a method of obtaining an IP address (DHCP or static).

- If NomadBSD boots but the keyboard layout, timezone, or locale are incorrect, users can try to change them by opening a terminal and running the command `sudo service locale restart`. This will restart the locale service and prompt the user to choose a keyboard layout, a timezone, and a locale from a list.

For more information and support, users can visit the NomadBSD website¹, the NomadBSD forum, or the NomadBSD GitHub page.

Conclusion

NomadBSD 140R is a live distribution that offers a user-friendly and portable FreeBSD experience that can run on any modern computer from a USB flash drive. NomadBSD 140R is based on FreeBSD 14.0-RELEASE, which is a stable and secure operating system with a rich history and a vibrant community. NomadBSD 140R features a lightweight and elegant desktop environment, based on Openbox, and a selection of pre-installed applications for various tasks. NomadBSD 140R also boasts a remarkable automatic hardware detection and configuration system that can adapt to different machines and devices without hassle. NomadBSD 140R is a great choice for anyone who wants to try FreeBSD or use it as a portable and persistent system.

Disclaimer

The Distrowrite Project is not affiliated with NomadBSD or FreeBSD in any way. We have tested NomadBSD 140R with a San Disk 16 GB USB on HP 255 G7 Notebook PC. We have not received any compensation or incentives for writing this review.

Source

(1) NomadBSD: https://nomadbsd.org/