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In order to truly understand Unix and Linux, you have to understand the structure. Bear in mind - this is drastically simplified and basic. Picture concentric circles, with hardware at the center. The kernel wraps around that circle; it is the center of an OS that communicates directly with the hardware. A shell translates user input into commands the kernel can accept. Lastly, the GUI sends commands to the shell destined for the kernel. These OSes usually include the source code for the kernel, which allows a user to "recompile" or reconfigure and optimize the kernel for a specific hardware platform or a specific purpose. Nowadays, the kernel is more than suitable, so someone new to FreeBSD won't have to configure or reconfigure the kernel - for now, it's fine as is. FreeBSD also includes ports of many shells (like bash, the Bourne again shell, and zsh, the z-shell, explained here) and both KDE and GNOME desktop environments.

As a newbie to *nix, you'll find yourself typing DOS commands like dir and rename quite a bit at the command line, but the bash shell is flexible and not incredibly hard to learn. In reality, the Unix commands make much more sense: ls, like dir, *lists* the contents of a folder, mv, like rename *moves* a file into a new file. This is logical - everything in Unix is treated as a file. For example, You might copy an audio file to the soundcard to hear it play. The structure might be confusing at first, but again, these systems are designed to be logical, and in time, will make sense as there are fewer global exceptions. Don't be turned off by this - the CLI is what scares away many new Unix users. It will be your friend as you get to use it more frequently. Soon you will be able to use the filesystem itself in your applications and web sites. Try that on an NT box.

Another important distinction between *nix and Windows is the lack of a Registry. The Registry, which is the center of Windows, acts as a large database that contains information about virtually everything in your PC. By tampering with the Registry, you can effectively destroy a Windows installation in about 5 clicks if you know which registry keys to alter. FreeBSD, like all *nices, use flat text files. In order to alter the actions at boot, you'll need to alter a text file. To change the properties of your shell - a text file. To configure the many servers bound within FreeBSD, text files. Fortunately, hunting cautiously, you can find graphical front ends that can help you configure your system. For the time being, almost everything you need is pre-configured in a fashion I'd call "useable."

1. "Which *BSD is right for me?"
2. "Installation"
3. "Configuring the X Server"
4. "Interlude: Some UNIX For Newbies"
5. "FreeBSD at First Glance"
6. "Applications and Conclusion"