code: fqa.9front.org

ref: 690d1ec36bef165df763f5012f15f352fa882f39
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.\" This troff source is processed to create all forms of the
.\" 9FRONT DASH 1 book and the http://fqa.9front.org website.
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.HTML "FQA 1 - Introduction To 9front
.html - <style type="text/css">body{font-size:10pt}; a{font-size:10pt}</style>
.html - <a href="fqa.html">FQA INDEX</a> |
.html - <a href="fqa0.html">FQA 0 - Introduction To Plan 9</a> |
.html - <a href="fqa2.html">FQA 2 - Getting To Know 9front</a>
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.SH
.LG
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FQA 1 - Introduction to 9front
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.NL
.R
.html - <a href="fqa1.html">html</a> |
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.SH
1.1 - What is 9front?
.R
.ihtml h2

Plan9front (or 9front) is a fork of the
.ihtml a <a href="http://plan9.bell-labs.com/plan9">
Plan 9 from Bell Labs
.ihtml a
operating system. The project was started to remedy a perceived lack of devoted development resources inside Bell Labs,[citation needed] and has accumulated various
.ihtml a <a href="http://code.9front.org/plan9front">
fixes
.ihtml a
and
.ihtml a <a href="fqa1.html#1.3.1">
improvements.
.ihtml a

This FQA specifically covers only the most recent release of 9front.

.html - <a name="1.1.1" />
.ihtml h3 <h3>
.SH
1.1.1 - Cirno
.R
.ihtml h3

.FG cirno jpg

At some point,
.ihtml a <a href="http://touhou.wikia.com/wiki/Cirno">
Cirno
.ihtml a
became assocaited with 9front. Details are sketchy.

.SH
Pro
.R

.ihtml ul <ul>
.IP
• girl

• has magical powers

• associated with 9

• upsets kfx

• she is known to be the strongest
.LP
.ihtml ul

.SH
Alternatives
.R
.html - <br />
.FG tuttleglenda png

.FG grumpycatno jpg

.html - <a name="1.2" />
.ihtml h2 <h2>
.SH
1.2 - On what systems does 9front run?
.R
.ihtml h2

9front runs on the following platforms:
.ihtml ul <ul>
.IP
• 386

• amd64

• arm

• mips
.LP
.ihtml ul

Read:
.ihtml a <a href="fqa3.html#3.2">
.I
FQA 3.2 - Selecting Hardware
.R
.ihtml a

.html - <a name="1.3" />
.ihtml h2 <h2>
.SH
1.3 - Why might I want to use 9front?
.R
.ihtml h2

It is very likely that you do not.

New users frequently want to know whether 9front is superior to some other free UNIX-like operating system. Consider: The question is largely unanswerable. What are your criteria? Why are you even using computers in the first place? Exploring these questions and the implications that derive therefrom may help you sharpen your perceptions and eventually come to some sort of conclusion about which operating system you prefer to use for daily tasks.

Ultimately, whether or not 9front is for you is a question only you can answer.

.html - <a name="1.3.1" />
.ihtml h3 <h3>
.SH
1.3.1 - New Features
.R
.ihtml h3

The following list is not exhaustive:

.ihtml ul <ul>
.IP
•
.CW /shr ,
global mountpoint device
.ihtml a <a href="http://man.9front.org/3/shr">
.CW shr(3)
.ihtml a

•
.CW /mnt
is provided by
.ihtml a <a href="http://man.9front.org/4/mntgen">
.CW mntgen(4)
.ihtml a

•
.CW #A ,
audio drivers for sb16, intel hd audio and ac97 (both playback and recording supported!)
.ihtml a <a href="http://man.9front.org/3/audio">
.CW audio(3)
.ihtml a

• New BIOS based boot loader
.ihtml a <a href="http://man.9front.org/8/9boot">
.CW 9boot(8)
.ihtml a
featuring a console and support for FAT/ISO/PXE and being small (<8K)

• New EFI based boot loader
.ihtml a <a href="http://code.9front.org/hg/plan9front/file/1f9d7811d546/sys/src/boot/efi">
.CW efi
.ihtml a

• Made kernel compliant to multiboot specification so it can be booted by qemu or grub directly.

• Interruptable kernel qlocks (\f(CWeqlock\fR)

• Defered clunks (\f(CWcloseproc\fR) for cached mounts

• New
.CW rc
based
.ihtml a <a href="http://man.9front.org/8/boot">
.CW boot(8)
.ihtml a
allows breaking into a shell at any time

• Default file system is an improved
.ihtml a <a href="http://man.9front.org/4/cwfs">
.CW cwfs(4)
.ihtml a
(cwfs64x)

• New screen fonts:
.CW dejavu ,
.CW germgoth ,
.CW vga

• No central
.CW replica ;
source updates are done with
.ihtml a <a href="http://man.9front.org/1/hg">
.CW hg (1)
.ihtml a
(Mercurial)

• Keyboard events with
.CW /dev/kbd .
Read: 
.ihtml a <a href="http://man.9front.org/8/kbdfs">
.CW kbdfs (8)
.ihtml a
and
.ihtml a <a href="http://man.9front.org/4/rio">
.CW rio (4)
.ihtml a

•
.ihtml a <a href="http://9front.org/9front/lib/rob">
.CW /lib/rob
.ihtml a
and other new corpuses, suitable as fodder for
.ihtml a <a href="http://man.9front.org/1/fortune">
.CW fortune(1)
.ihtml a
and other rhetorical programs

• New
.ihtml a <a href="http://man.9front.org/8/listen">
.CW listen(8)
.ihtml a
.CW
-p maxprocs
.R
option

• Always available network
.ihtml a <a href="http://man.9front.org/8/aan">
.CW aan(8)
.ihtml a
support in
.ihtml a <a href="http://man.9front.org/1/cpu">
.CW cpu(1)
.ihtml a

• MSI (message signalled interrupts), avoids problems with broken MP tables. Read:
.ihtml a <a href="http://man.9front.org/8/icanhasmsi">
.CW icanhasmsi (8)
.ihtml a

• Legacy free ACPI support (aml interpreter
.CW libaml ,
mp interrupt routing, \f(CWscram\fR)

• Added
.ihtml a <a href="http://man.9front.org/1/rio">
.CW rio(1)
.ihtml a
.CW -b
option (black window backgrounds) and
.CW look
menu option

• USB CD-ROM boot/install

• USB
.ihtml a <a href="fqa4.html#4.2.2">
drive boot
.ihtml a

• Improved USB mouse support

• Support for USB ptp cameras

• Stable-across-machines USB device names

• VGA initialization done by interpreting the VESA BIOS with
.ihtml a <a href="http://man.9front.org/8/realemu">
.CW realemu(8) ,
.ihtml a
working VESA screen blanking.

•
.CW /dev/kbd
and clipboard charset support for
.ihtml a <a href="http://man.9front.org/1/vnc">
.CW vnc(1)
.ihtml a

• New
.ihtml a <a href="http://man.9front.org/4/webfs">
.CW webfs(4)
.ihtml a
with HTTP1.1 and Keep-Alive support.

• Qemu/KVM virtio block device and ethernet drivers. Read:
.ihtml a <a href="fqa4.html#4.5.1.3">
.I
FQA 4.5.1.3 - Virtio
.R
.ihtml a

• Mouse wheel and chording support in
.ihtml a <a href="http://man.9front.org/1/sam">
.CW sam(1)
.ihtml a

• Elliptic curve cryptography
.ihtml a <a href="http://man.9front.org/2/ec">
.CW ec(2)
.ihtml a

• Working interrupt key (Del) in console

• Wifi support with wpa/wpa2

• SSE support

• System-wide support for internationalized domain names

• Unicode support in
.ihtml a <a href="http://man.9front.org/1/vt">
.CW vt(1)
.ihtml a

•
.ihtml a <a href="http://code.9front.org/hg/plan9front/file/1f9d7811d546/sys/src/9/pc64/">
.CW pc64 ,
.ihtml a
kernel for amd64

• Numerous ciphers added and improvements made to
.ihtml a <a href="http://man.9front.org/2/pushtls">
.CW libsec
.ihtml a

• New dpi9k authentication protocol
.LP
.ihtml ul

.html - <a name="1.3.1.1" />
.ihtml h4 <h4>
.SH
1.3.1.1 - New Programs
.R
.ihtml h4

.ihtml ul <ul>
.IP
• \f(CW"\fR and \f(CW""\fR (print, repeat previous command)

•
.ihtml a <a href="http://man.9front.org/1/alarm">
.CW alarm(1)
.ihtml a
\(em timeouts in
.CW rc
scripts

•
.ihtml a <a href="http://man.9front.org/1/audio">
.CW audio(1)
.ihtml a
\(em
.CW mp3 ,
.CW ogg ,
.CW flac ,
.CW µlaw ,
.CW wav

•
.ihtml a <a href="http://man.9front.org/1/bullshit">
.CW bullshit(1)
.ihtml a
\(em print out a stream of bullshit

•
.ihtml a <a href="http://man.9front.org/8/cifsd">
.CW cifsd(8)
.ihtml a
\(em CIFS/SMB server

•
.ihtml a <a href="http://man.9front.org/8/cryptsetup">
.CW cryptsetup (8)
.ihtml a
\(em prepare an AES-encrypted partition to be used with the
.ihtml a <a href="http://man.9front.org/3/fs">
.CW fs(3)
.ihtml a
device

•
.ihtml a <a href="http://man.9front.org/1/derp">
.CW derp(1)
.ihtml a
\(em find changes between directories

•
.ihtml a <a href="http://code.9front.org/hg/plan9front/file/1f9d7811d546/rc/bin/feminize">
.CW feminize(1)
.ihtml a
\(em replace sexist remarks

•
.ihtml a <a href="http://man.9front.org/1/fplot">
.CW fplot(1)
.ihtml a

• New games:
.ihtml a <a href="http://code.9front.org/hg/plan9front/file/1f9d7811d546/sys/src/games/doom">
.CW doom ,
.ihtml a <a href="http://code.9front.org/hg/plan9front/file/1f9d7811d546/sys/src/games/glendy.c">
.CW glendy ,
.ihtml a
.ihtml a <a href="http://code.9front.org/hg/plan9front/file/1f9d7811d546/sys/src/games/mandel.c">
.CW mandel ,
.ihtml a
.ihtml a <a href="http://code.9front.org/hg/plan9front/file/1f9d7811d546/sys/src/games/mines">
.CW mines ,
.ihtml a
.ihtml a <a href="http://code.9front.org/hg/plan9front/file/1f9d7811d546/sys/src/games/mole.c">
.CW mole ,
.ihtml a <a href="http://code.9front.org/hg/plan9front/file/1f9d7811d546/sys/src/games/packet.c">
.CW packet
.ihtml a

•
.ihtml a <a href="http://man.9front.org/1/hg">
.CW hg(1)
.ihtml a
and
.ihtml a <a href="http://man.9front.org/4/hgfs">
.CW hgfs(4)
.ihtml a
(Mercurial)

•
.ihtml a <a href="http://man.9front.org/1/hget">
.CW hget(1)
.ihtml a
\(em rewritten in
.CW rc ,
now uses
.CW webfs

•
.ihtml a <a href="http://man.9front.org/1/hget">
.CW hpost(1)
.ihtml a
\(em extract and post HTML forms

•
.ihtml a <a href="http://man.9front.org/1/hold">
.CW hold(1)
.ihtml a
\(em simple text editor

•
.ihtml a <a href="http://man.9front.org/8/icanhasmsi">
.CW icanhasmsi (8)
.ihtml a
\(em print MSI configuration

•
.ihtml a <a href="http://man.9front.org/8/ipserv">
.CW ipserv(8)
.ihtml a
\(em proxy servers
.CW socksd
and
.CW hproxy

•
.ihtml a <a href="http://man.9front.org/1/memory">
.CW memory(1)
.ihtml a
\(em check memory usage

•
.ihtml a <a href="http://man.9front.org/1/mothra">
.CW mothra(1)
.ihtml a
\(em Tom Duff's web browser, now uses
.CW webfs

•
.ihtml a <a href="http://man.9front.org/8/netaudit">
.CW netaudit(8)
.ihtml a
\(em network configuration checker

•
.ihtml a <a href="http://man.9front.org/1/newt">
.CW newt(1)
.ihtml a
\(em Usenet client

•
.ihtml a <a href="http://man.9front.org/1/nietzsche">
.CW nietzsche(1)
.ihtml a
\(em print out Nietzsche quote

•
.ihtml a <a href="http://man.9front.org/1/nintendo">
.CW nintendo(1)
.ihtml a
\(em Nintendo emulators:
.CW gb ,
.CW gba ,
.CW nes ,
.CW snes

•
.ihtml a <a href="http://man.9front.org/1/page">
.CW page(1)
.ihtml a
\(em zoom and enhance!

•
.ihtml a <a href="http://man.9front.org/1/paint">
.CW paint(1)
.ihtml a
\(em drawing program

•
.ihtml a <a href="http://man.9front.org/1/play">
.CW play(1)
.ihtml a
\(em audio player

•
.ihtml a <a href="http://man.9front.org/1/ps">
.CW pstree(1)
.ihtml a
\(em print tree-like map of current processes and sub-processes

•
.ihtml a <a href="http://man.9front.org/8/rc-httpd">
.CW rc-httpd(8)
.ihtml a
\(em HTTP server

•
.ihtml a <a href="http://man.9front.org/1/rcpu">
.CW rcpu (1)
.ihtml a
\(em replacement for legacy
.ihtml a <a href="http://man.9front.org/1/cpu">
.CW cpu (1)
.ihtml a
client, uses dp9ik

•
.ihtml a <a href="http://man.9front.org/1/resample">
.CW resize(1)
.ihtml a
\(em fast but low quality image resampler

•
.ihtml a <a href="http://man.9front.org/1/rotate">
.CW rotate(1)
.ihtml a
\(em rotate or mirror a picture

•
.ihtml a <a href="http://man.9front.org/8/fshalt">
.CW scram(8)
.ihtml a
\(em ACPI and APM shutdown

•
.ihtml a <a href="http://man.9front.org/1/sega">
.CW sega(1)
.ihtml a
\(em Sega Megadrive/Genesis emulator:
.CW md

•
.ihtml a <a href="http://man.9front.org/1/ssam">
.CW ssam(1)
.ihtml a
\(em stream interface to
.CW sam

•
.ihtml a <a href="http://man.9front.org/1/sysinfo">
.CW sysinfo(1)
.ihtml a
\(em print hardware report

•
.ihtml a <a href="http://man.9front.org/1/sysinfo">
.CW sysupdate(1)
.ihtml a
\(em update the local hg repository

•
.ihtml a <a href="http://man.9front.org/1/fortune">
.CW theo(1)
.ihtml a
\(em print out insults from Theo de Raadt

•
.ihtml a <a href="http://man.9front.org/1/tput">
.CW tput(1)
.ihtml a
\(em measure read throughput

•
.ihtml a <a href="http://man.9front.org/1/fortune">
.CW troll(1)
.ihtml a
\(em automated trolling

•
.ihtml a <a href="http://man.9front.org/1/tap">
.CW tap(1)
.ihtml a
\(em follow the pipes of a process

•
.ihtml a <a href="http://man.9front.org/1/jpg">
.CW tif(1)
.ihtml a
\(em tiff decoder

•
.ihtml a <a href="http://man.9front.org/1/jpg">
.CW tojpg(1)
.ihtml a
\(em jpeg encoder

•
.ihtml a <a href="http://man.9front.org/1/jpg">
.CW totif(1)
.ihtml a
\(em tiff encoder

•
.ihtml a <a href="http://man.9front.org/1/torrent">
.CW torrent(1)
.ihtml a
\(em bittorrent client
.LP
.ihtml ul
  
.html - <a name="1.3.1.2" />
.ihtml h4 <h4>
.SH
1.3.1.2 - New Hardware Support
.R
.ihtml h4

.SH
Audio
.R

.ihtml ul <ul>
.IP
• AC97
\(em
.ihtml a <a href="http://code.9front.org/hg/plan9front/file/1f9d7811d546/sys/src/9/pc/audioac97.c">
.CW /sys/src/9/pc/audioac97.c
.ihtml a

• HDA
\(em
.ihtml a <a href="http://code.9front.org/hg/plan9front/file/1f9d7811d546/sys/src/9/pc/audiohda.c">
.CW /sys/src/9/pc/audiohda.c
.ihtml a

• SB 16/ESS
\(em
.ihtml a <a href="http://code.9front.org/hg/plan9front/file/1f9d7811d546/sys/src/9/pc/audiosb16.c">
.CW /sys/src/9/pc/audiosb16.c
.ihtml a
.LP
.ihtml ul

.SH
Ethernet
.R

.ihtml ul <ul>
.IP
• ADMtek Pegasus
\(em
.ihtml a <a href="http://code.9front.org/hg/plan9front/file/1f9d7811d546/sys/src/cmd/nusb/ether/aue.c">
.CW /sys/src/cmd/nusb/ether/aue.c
.ihtml a

• Broadcom BCM57xx
\(em
.ihtml a <a href="http://code.9front.org/hg/plan9front/file/1f9d7811d546/sys/src/9/pc/etherbcm.c">
.CW /sys/src/9/pc/etherbcm.c
.ihtml a

• Realtek RTL8150
\(em
.ihtml a <a href="http://code.9front.org/hg/plan9front/file/1f9d7811d546/sys/src/cmd/nusb/ether/url.c">
.CW /sys/src/cmd/nusb/ether/url.c
.ihtml a
.LP
.ihtml ul

.SH
Wifi
.R

.ihtml ul <ul>
.IP
• Intel Centrino Advanced-N 6205 (iwl-6005)

• Intel Centrino Ultimate-N (iwl-6000)

• Intel Centrino Wireless-N 100

• Intel WiFi Link 1000/4965/5100/5300/5350 AGN

• Intel PRO Wireless 3945ABG (wpi-3945abg)

• Ralink RT2860/RT3090
.LP
.ihtml ul

.SH
Tablets
.R

.ihtml ul <ul>
.IP
• Wacom WACF004, WACF008

.ihtml a <a href="http://code.9front.org/hg/plan9front/file/1f9d7811d546/sys/src/cmd/aux/wacom.c">
.CW /sys/src/cmd/aux/wacom.c,
.ihtml a
.ihtml a <a href="http://code.9front.org/hg/plan9front/file/1f9d7811d546/sys/src/cmd/aux/tablet.c">
.CW /sys/src/cmd/aux/tablet.c
.ihtml a
.LP
.ihtml ul

.SH
Video
.R

.ihtml ul <ul>
.IP
• AMD Geode LX driver

.ihtml a <a href="http://code.9front.org/hg/plan9front/file/1f9d7811d546/sys/src/cmd/aux/vga/geode.c">
.CW /sys/src/cmd/aux/vga/geode.c
.ihtml a
.ihtml a <a href="http://code.9front.org/hg/plan9front/file/1f9d7811d546/sys/src/9/pc/vgageode.c">
.CW /sys/src/9/pc/vgageode.c
.ihtml a

• Intel G45 and Ivy Bridge driver

.ihtml a <a href="http://code.9front.org/hg/plan9front/file/1f9d7811d546/sys/src/cmd/aux/vga/igfx.c">
.CW /sys/src/cmd/aux/vga/igfx.c
.ihtml a
.ihtml a <a href="http://code.9front.org/hg/plan9front/file/1f9d7811d546/sys/src/9/pc/vgaigfx.c">
.CW /sys/src/9/pc/vgaigfx.c
.ihtml a
.LP
.ihtml ul

.SH
SD Card
.R

.ihtml ul <ul>
.IP
• Ricoh \(em
.ihtml a <a href="http://code.9front.org/hg/plan9front/file/1f9d7811d546/sys/src/9/pc/pmmc.c">
.CW /sys/src/9/pc/pmmc.c
.ihtml a
.LP
.ihtml ul

Read:
.ihtml a <a href="fqa3.html#3.2">
.I
FQA 3.2 - Known Working Hardware
.ihtml a
.R
for a list of complete machines known to work.

.FG ibmintel png

.html - <a name="1.4" />
.ihtml h2 <h2>
.SH
1.4 - Is 9front really free?
.R
.ihtml h2

Yes.

Read:
.ihtml a <a href="fqa0.html#0.2.4">
.I
FQA 0.2.4 - What is the deal with Plan 9's weird license?
.R
.ihtml a

.html - <a name="1.5" />
.ihtml h2 <h2>
.SH
1.5 - How can I help support 9front?
.R
.ihtml h2

We are greatly indebted to the people and organizations that have contributed to the 9front project. That said, the topic is complicated: The main developers refuse to accept donations (except when they do accept donations), and the people who do offer to make donations often disappear without further explanation or make strange demands that nobody feels like capitulating to. This complex, fluid, and at times contentious dynamic can best be navigated by joining
.CW #cat-v
on freenode and asking strangers how to donate to the project.

When this fails, donations that help pay for the hosting of
.CW 9front.org
and
.CW cat-v.org
(including
.CW fqa.9front.org ,
the document you are reading right now)
can be made at:
.ihtml a <a href="http://patreon.com/stanleylieber">
.CW http://patreon.com/stanleylieber .
.ihtml a

.html - <a name="1.6" />
.ihtml h2 <h2>
.SH
1.6 - Who maintains 9front?
.R
.ihtml h2

9front is maintained by an East German intelligence officer who never sleeps but instead logs periods of inactivity staring straight into the soulless eyes of
.CW games/catclock .
Occasional contributions are made by a diverse team of malcontents that is spread
.ihtml a <a href="http://9front.org/who/">
somewhat thinly
.ihtml a
across many different timezones and Internet providers. Most of them have dayjobs and in fact are not concerned with your demands. (Subsidized or not).

.html - <a name="1.7" />
.ihtml h2 <h2>
.SH
1.7 - When is the next release of 9front?
.R
.ihtml h2

Soon.

The 9front team makes new releases on a regular, but unscheduled, basis. More information on the development cycle can be found on the
.ihtml a <a href="fqa2.html#2.2">
9front mailing list.
.ihtml a

.html - <a name="1.8" />
.ihtml h2 <h2>
.SH
1.8 - What is included with 9front?
.R
.ihtml h2

Some useful programs included with the operating system are:
.ihtml ul <ul>
.IP
•
.ihtml a <a href="http://doc.cat-v.org/plan_9/4th_edition/papers/acidpaper">
.CW acid
.ihtml a
\(em Programmable symbolic debugger.

•
.ihtml a <a href="http://doc.cat-v.org/plan_9/4th_edition/papers/acme/">
.CW acme
.ihtml a
\(em Text editor, window system, mail client and more.

•
.ihtml a <a href="http://doc.cat-v.org/plan_9/4th_edition/papers/ape">
.CW ape
.ihtml a
\(em ANSI/POSIX environment.

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.ihtml a <a href="http://man.9front.org/4/cwfs">
.CW cwfs64x
.ihtml a
\(em Cached-worm file server based on the original Ken's fs.

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.ihtml a <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Doom_(video_game)">
.CW doom
.ihtml a
\(em Science fiction horror-themed first-person shooter video game by id Software.

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.ihtml a <a href="http://man.9front.org/1/gs">
.CW gs
.ihtml a
\(em Aladdin Ghostscript (PostScript and PDF language interpreter).

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.ihtml a <a href="http://man.9front.org/4/hjfs">
.CW hjfs
.ihtml a
\(em A new, experimental fs.

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.ihtml a <a href="http://mercurial.selenic.com">
mercurial
.ihtml a
\(em Distributed source control management tool.

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.ihtml a <a href="http://doc.cat-v.org/plan_9/4th_edition/papers/mk">
.CW mk
.ihtml a
\(em Tool for describing and maintaining dependencies between files.

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.ihtml a <a href="http://man.9front.org/1/mothra">
.CW mothra
.ihtml a
\(em Web browser by Tom Duff.

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.ihtml a <a href="http://man.9front.org/1/newt">
.CW newt
.ihtml a
\(em NNTP client.

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.ihtml a <a href="http://man.9front.org/1/nintendo">
nintendo
.ihtml a
\(em Nintendo Game Boy, NES, SNES and GBA emulators.

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.ihtml a <a href="http://man.9front.org/1/paint">
.CW paint
.ihtml a
\(em Drawing program.

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.ihtml a <a href="http://man.9front.org/1/page">
.CW page
.ihtml a
\(em FAX, image, graphic, PostScript, PDF, epub, cbz viewer.

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.ihtml a <a href="http://man.9front.org/1/play">
.CW play
.ihtml a
\(em Flac, ogg, mp3, sun, wav player.

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.ihtml a <a href="http://doc.cat-v.org/plan_9/4th_edition/papers/plumb">
.CW plumber
.ihtml a
\(em Mechanism for inter-process communication.

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.ihtml a <a href="http://python.org">
python 2.5.1
.ihtml a
\(em Interpreted programming language. (needed for mercurial)

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.ihtml a <a href="http://doc.cat-v.org/plan_9/4th_edition/papers/rc">
.CW rc
.ihtml a
\(em Shell by Tom Duff.

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.ihtml a <a href="http://man.9front.org/8/rc-httpd">
.CW rc-httpd
.ihtml a
\(em Web server written in rc.

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.ihtml a <a href="http://man.9front.org/1/rio">
.CW rio
.ihtml a
\(em Rectangle multiplexer/window system.

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.ihtml a <a href="http://doc.cat-v.org/plan_9/4th_edition/papers/sam/">
.CW sam
.ihtml a
\(em Text editor.

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.ihtml a <a href="http://man.9front.org/1/sega">
sega
.ihtml a
\(em Megadrive/Genesis emulator.

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.ihtml a <a href="http://man.9front.org/1/torrent">
.CW torrent
.ihtml a
\(em BitTorrent client.

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.ihtml a <a href="http://doc.cat-v.org/plan_9/4th_edition/papers/troff/">
.CW troff
.ihtml a
\(em Text processor/typesetter.

•
.ihtml a <a href="http://doc.cat-v.org/bell_labs/upas_mail_system/">
.CW upas
.ihtml a
\(em A simpler approach to network mail.
.LP
.ihtml ul

.html - <a name="1.9" />
.ihtml h2 <h2>
.SH
1.9 - Can I use 9front as a desktop system?
.R
.ihtml h2

This question is often asked in exactly this manner\(emwith no explanation of what the asker means by "desktop". The only person who can answer that question is you, as it depends on what your needs and expectations are.

Read:
.ihtml a <a href="fqa1.html#1.3">
.I
FQA 1.3 - Why might I want to use 9front?
.R
.ihtml a

.html - <a name="1.10" />
.ihtml h2 <h2>
.SH
1.10 - Why is/isn't ProductX included?
.R
.ihtml h2

Two potential reasons:
.ihtml ul <ul>
.IP
• Nobody wanted it.

• Nobody wrote the code.
.LP
.ihtml ul

Many "features" and programs are missing from Plan 9 for a very good reason: They are terrible ideas expressed as terrible software. Other features are missing simply because no one has yet written the code to implement them. It is left as an exercise for the reader to determine which is which, and to apply the appropriate remedy.

.html - <a name="1.11" />
.ihtml h2 <h2>
.SH
1.11 - Fine, where can I get 9front?
.R
.ihtml h2
.html - <br />
.FG meganinefront gif

If you simply cannot be dissuaded from trying 9front for yourself, obtain installation media from the mentioned in the following sections.

.html - <a name="1.11.1" />
.ihtml h3 <h3>
.SH
1.11.1 - Mirrors
.R
.ihtml h3

.html - <a name="1.11.1.1" />
.ihtml h4 <h4>
.SH
1.11.1.1 - 9front.iso
.R
.ihtml h4

.ihtml ul <ul>
.IP
.ihtml a <a href="http://9front.org/iso/">
http://9front.org/iso/
.ihtml a

.ihtml a <a href="http://r-36.net/9front/">
http://r-36.net/9front/
.ihtml a

.ihtml a <a href="http://thefront.felloff.net/usr/cinap_lenrek/9front.torrent">
http://thefront.felloff.net/usr/cinap_lenrek/9front.torrent
.ihtml a
.LP
.ihtml ul

.html - <a name="1.11.1.2" />
.ihtml h4 <h4>
.SH
1.11.1.2 - Mercurial repository
.R
.ihtml h4

.ihtml ul <ul>
.IP
.ihtml a <a href="https://code.9front.org/hg/plan9front">
https://code.9front.org/hg/plan9front (official)
.ihtml a
.LP
.ihtml ul

.SH
Good luck, you may need it.
.R
.html - <br />
.FG reactorcat gif

.html - <hr />
.html - <a href="fqa.html">FQA INDEX</a> |
.html - <a href="fqa0.html">FQA 0 - Introduction To Plan 9</a> |
.html - <a href="fqa2.html">FQA 2 - Getting To Know 9front</a>