The following resources are some of those which &os; newbies - have found most helpful when learning to use &os;. Please send - corrections and additions to FreeBSD-doc@FreeBSD.org.
+The latest &os; releases are available here.
This web site is the main source of up to date information about &os;. Newbies have found the following pages particularly helpful:
Search the Handbook and FAQ, the whole web site, or the &os; mailing list archives.
The Support page contains a wealth of information about &os;, including mailing lists, user groups, web and FTP sites, release information, and links to some sources of &unix; information.
You should most probably look for the latest mainstream release. (See the Handbook for why you should not be tempted by any of the other branches.) Before you begin, carefully read the installation instructions, as well as each one of the *.TXT files in the FTP directory or on the installation CD. They are there because they contain information that you will need. Also pick up the latest errata file from the web site, in case it has been updated.
The &os; Handbook and Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) are the main documents for &os;. Essential reading, they contain a lot of material for newbies as well as some pretty advanced stuff. Do not worry if you are unable to understand the advanced sections. The handbook contains the installation instructions and also provides lists of books and on-line resources, and the FAQ has a troubleshooting section.
Join the &os;-Questions mailing list to see the questions you were too afraid to ask, and their answers. Subscribe by filling out the following form: http://lists.FreeBSD.org/mailman/listinfo/freebsd-questions. You can look up old questions and answers via the search page.
The &os; Forums offer another support channel. Many users have written various tutorials and lots of new users receive help there.
Manual pages are good for reference but not always the best introduction for a novice. They generally provide information on a specific command, driver or service.
&os; is widely used as a building block for other commercial and open-source operating systems. Some of the most widely used and publicly available systems are listed below.
PC-BSD is a &os; derivative with a graphical installer and impressive desktop tools aimed at ease of use for the casual computer user.
pfSense is a &os; free network security solution, based on &os;. pfSense software, with the help of the package system, is able to provide the same functionality or more of common commercial firewalls, without any of the artificial limitations. It has successfully replaced every big name commercial firewall you can imagine in numerous installations around the world.
Apple's Mac OS X is based in part on &os; and includes a rich &unix; foundation in addition to the proprietary Apple user interface.
The X Window System is used with a number of operating systems, including &os;. The documentation for X can be found at the X.Org Foundation web site. Beware, much of this documentation is reference material which is more likely to be difficult for newcomers to digest.
Before you can get X running exactly the way you like, you will need to choose a window manager. Visit the Window Managers for X page and follow the link to the introduction to find out about window managers, then return and read "The Basics". Then go back and compare the different types that are available. (Bonus: there is another beginners guide to UNIX there too.) Most, if not all, of these window managers are available to install from the &os; Ports Collection.
Everyone has something to contribute to the &os; community, even newbies! Some are busy working with the new advocacy group and some have become involved with the Documentation Project as reviewers. Other &os; newbies might have particular skills and experiences to share, either computer related or not, or just want to meet new newbies and make them feel welcome. There are always people around who help others simply because they like to.
Friends who run &os; are a great resource. No book can replace chatting on the phone or across a pizza with someone who has the same interests, enjoys similar accomplishments, and faces the same challenges. If you do not have many friends who use &os;, consider using your old &os; CDs to create some more.
User groups are good places to meet other &os; users. If there is no one nearby, you might consider starting one!
Before talking to real humans about your new skills, you might want to check the Jargon File.