FreeBSD is not particularly difficult to use, and its integrated documentation is adequate, but it can take a long time to figure out which packages you need to install in order to get certain services running, and how to configure them once installed. Even if you're familiar with the programs you need to use, learning how they work with FreeBSD can be a challenge.

If you are totally new to Unix-like operating environments, this guide could be a little over your head in some places, but if you read it from start to finish and stick with it when things get difficult, you'll end up with a functional and useful operating system. If you already have some experience with any Unix-like operating system, you'll probably feel right at home with FreeBSD and may want to skip ahead to the sections that apply to you.

While there are some suggestions and system administration tips sprinkled throughout The FreeBSD Crash Course, it is not designed to teach you how to administer a server. It's impossible to anticipate each reader's hardware configuration and goals for working with FreeBSD, so instead of telling you how to set up your machine to perform specific tasks, this guide will show you how to install and configure various services and programs.

This Short Cut is organized into two sections: desktop and server. From those two starting points, you can customize FreeBSD to meet nearly any need. If you're new to FreeBSD, start at the beginning and skip ahead when you hit a section that isn't relevant to what you need to do.