6.3. I want all this neat software, but I haven't got the space or CPU power to compile it all myself. Is there any way of getting binaries?

Yes. We support the concept of a ``package'', which is essentially a gzipped binary distribution with a little extra intelligence embedded in it for doing any custom installation work required. Packages can also be installed or deinstalled again easily without having to know the gory details. CDROM people will have a packages/ directory on their CD, others can get the currently available packages from:

FreeBSD's packages

Note that all ports may not be available as packages, and that new packages are constantly being added. It is always a good idea to check periodically to see which packages are available. A README file in the packages directory provides more details on the care and feeding of the package software, so no explicit details will be given here.