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I originally published the contents of this article on the FreeBSD Forums on November 19, 2021 (I started the thread on October 10, 2021—my 33rd birthday). In this fifth rough draft of instructions, I will show you how to install KDE that will be started with the command startx. Thanks go to astyle for ironing out the final details and everyone else who contributed on the FreeBSD Forums.

Without a desktop environment, such as KDE, FreeBSD is just the UNIX shell (think "WarGames," "The Matrix," or MS-DOS!). Follow these instructions to set up a desktop environment so your computer looks like Windows or Mac.

Commands, code, and keystrokes are in bold (some other functions may be in bold as well). Commands and code will also have a silver background. Filenames are in green. I recommend reading all of the instructions before trying them.

1. Enter the superuser/root account by entering % su and the password for the root account. Note that the command prompt on the shell (%, $, #, etc.) is dependent on what user is currently logged in. Therefore, the % should not actually be typed out. Once in the root account, the command prompt will be #.

2. Run # pkg install drm-kmod

3. Enter the easy editor to edit the file /etc/rc.conf by entering the following command: # ee /etc/rc.conf

4. Once in the easy editor, on a new line, enter the following two lines on separate lines:

kld_list="/boot/modules/i915kms.ko"
dbus_enable="YES"

5. Make sure to hit Enter so the file starts on a new line after saving.

6. Save and exit the easy editor by pushing Esc and following the prompts to save and exit. The KMS driver should now be set up.

7. (7 and 8 are superfluous if you reboot in step 10. i915kms and dbus get loaded while booting because you added them to /etc/rc.conf in 4. In other words, you can skip 7 and 8. I am still including the steps for future reference.) Go ahead and load the drm driver. Run # kldload /boot/modules/i915kms.ko

8. (7 and 8 are superfluous if you reboot in step 10. i915kms and dbus get loaded while booting because you added them to /etc/rc.conf in 4. In other words, you can skip 7 and 8. I am still including the steps for future reference.) Run # service dbus start

9. Run # pkg install xorg

10. Reboot by running # shutdown -r now and booting up to a command-line login prompt.

11. Log in as a regular user (this is important).

12. Run % startx as a regular user. (Even the Handbook tells you to do this in the Quick Start section 5.4.1, Step 3.)

13. TWM window manager will start. You can return to text mode by opening the pop-up menu by left-clicking on the desktop and then clicking Exit.

14. Become the superuser/root account again by running % su

15. Reboot by running # shutdown -r now

16. After logging in, become the superuser/root account again by running % su

17. Run # pkg install kde5 firefox

18. Enter the easy editor to edit the file /etc/fstab by entering the following command: # ee /etc/fstab

19. Once in the easy editor, on new lines, enter the following two lines (you can push the Tab key or spacebar after entering each field):

fdesc   /dev/fd fdescfs rw   0  0
proc   /proc procfs rw   0  0

(See post #33. There is debate on whether this instruction should be included; I am including it because it may be beneficial for those who want to run applications such as LibreOffice.)

20. Make sure to hit Enter so the file starts on a new line after saving.

21. Save and exit the easy editor by pushing Esc and following the prompts to save and exit.

22. Run # mount /dev/fd

23. Run # mount /proc

24. Exit the superuser account by running # exit. All files in your $HOME directory should be edited as a regular user, not as root.

25. Enter the easy editor to edit the file ~/.xinitrc by entering the following command: % ee ~/.xinitrc

26. Once in the easy editor, on a new line, enter the following line:

exec ck-launch-session startplasma-x11

27. Make sure to hit Enter so the file starts on a new line after saving.

28. Save and exit the easy editor by pushing Esc and following the prompts to save and exit.

29. Become the superuser/root account again by running % su

30. Reboot by running # shutdown -r now

31. If you chose not to reboot, enter # exit to leave the superuser account.

32. If everything worked, you should see the KDE desktop after running % startx as a regular account.

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If you look at my cover photo on Facebook from March 3, 2021, you will see the first photo I took of my second dog, Missy. You will notice the photo is not in focus, because she was moving so much. I only had one opportunity to take my first photo, and I did my best. (In my mind, the cardinal rule of photography is making sure the photo is sharp.) In the case of my first photo of Missy, I was OK with her not being in focus—if anything it made the photo better, since one can see a glint in her left eye that might not have been as noticeable had the photo been in focus.

After taking a Greyhound bus to Des Moines last year, shortly before I posted the photo, I kept thinking of two memories simultaneously. My first memory was of my first photo of Missy, which was easy enough to find; my second memory was of the synthesizer sound at 3:14 in this YouTube video (note: the YouTube link will start the video at 2:51 for context). It took me a while to find the song, because my only memory was of the sound that lasts eight seconds at the end of a song. But after considerable time (I don't remember if it was days or weeks) and much thought, I eventually found the song: "Fortune" by Little Dragon.

There's something about the photo of Missy and the synthesizer sound that just seem to go together. I feel the overarching idea the two media evoke is Missy's mortality.

Missy was born in March 2014, almost exactly three years after her half-brother Pugsley. In recent years, she's been on medication for some medical condition that I don't know much about. I named both my dogs, but it was Missy who I had the hardest time naming. I even spent time researching dog names at the Chanhassen Library. I eventually settled on Missy, because I wanted her never to get hurt. No matter what life would throw at her, everything would be a "miss."

But it didn't turn out that way. She's now on medication and is overweight, though I am trying to lower her weight. I'm afraid to ask about her life expectancy. All I can do is cherish the time we have left together.

Sometimes I think my dogs will thank me in the afterlife (heaven). I think of them as helpless, innocent creatures, who wish they understood more language and the meaning of life. I wish they knew how important they are to me, and how I go out of my way to post photos of them online to celebrate them. If they knew I stayed up late to write this article tonight, I hope they would understand how much they mean to me.

Instead of relying on AllMusic's objective ratings, sometimes I buy an album for subjective factors. In the case of the June 2021 album Sun by Pastel Coast, these included the album cover and band name. Of greater importance, though, I enjoyed the snippets of the songs.

I know what you're probably thinking: There are no objective ratings when it comes to music or—more broadly—art. But if that's the case—if good art is in the eye of the beholder—how is one supposed to find exceptional art? Individuals don't have the time to form an opinion on every work of art. Looking more carefully at highly-rated artistic output from professional critics solves this problem.

Yet I found this 3.5-star album that will always evoke the intense feelings I had last June and July. I go through phases where I don't listen to any music (with the exception of tuning in to the Current while driving) and phases where it seems I'm always listening to music. I hope I'm now entering one of the latter phases.

I guess the point of my harangue is that good art can be both objective and subjective. And these opposite ideas can coexist.

Watch the music video for "Sunset" by Pastel Coast: <https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=51PP40w7Ib8>.

I created a blog tonight (the night of February 23–24) called WWIII Blog. I sincerely hope there is not a World War III—since that is often equated with nuclear annihilation—but if there is a WWIII, I have a blog for it.

My hometown of nearly 30 years was named the best place to live in the United States in 2021. In September, Money Magazine awarded Chanhassen, Minnesota, the number one spot. Chanhassen is a suburb 20 miles southwest of Minneapolis.

This isn't the first time Chanhassen has placed near the top of Money Magazine's list, either. In 2009, I remember them reaching number two. They have also placed in the top 10 in other years. The bordering cities of Chaska and Eden Prairie have also made it toward the top of the list (Eden Prairie even reached number one in 2010).