PC-BSD features:

• Fully functional desktop operating system, running FreeBSD 6® under the hood.
• Graphical system installer, makes the system installation process effortless.
• Support for over 50 native languages.
• Advanced stability & performance that FreeBSD users have come to expect.
• Safe from Viruses and Spy-ware that plague other systems.
• Self-Installing software packages, makes loading programs a snap!
• Easy to use package management system (PBI), but also fully-functional with standard FreeBSD ports/packages.
• PBI packages are self-contained, and do not rely on numerous system dependancies.
• Graphical tools for system administration and support.
• Professional E-mail and Phone Support from PC-BSD Software available.
• Friendly and helpful support community.
• Online Update Manager - Downloads and installs updates for your operating system, without touching your installed programs.

PC-BSD has as its goal to be an easy to install and use desktop OS, which is built on the FreeBSD® operating system. To accomplish this, it has a graphical installation, which will enable even UNIX novices to easily install and get up and running. Currently, PC-BSD 1.5 is powered by the latest FreeBSD 6.3-STABLE operating system.

Part of making a Desktop Operating System that people feel immediately comfortable with is ensuring that software installation is as easy and familiar as possible. PC-BSD has taken this approach when developing the PBI (PC-BSD Installer) file format. Programs under PC-BSD are completely self-extracting and self-installing, in a graphical format. These PBI's also ship with all the files and libraries necessary for the installed program to function, eliminating much of the hardship of dealing with broken dependencies and file incompatibilities. PBI files also provide developers and packagers with advanced scripting and user interaction in an entirely graphical format, making the entire install procedure similar to what a user would expect from other popular graphical operating systems.

PBI features:

• Completely graphical extraction & installation process.
• Advanced scripting support that uses shell-scripts to control the installation process.
• Corruption detection ensures that a user's downloaded PBI is intact.
• Library auto-population grabs all the library files a binary may need for operation during the creation process.
• Icon management allows developers to set icons for both the desktop & K-Menu.
• Program error detection, silently outputs a stderr/stdout message that is captured and displayed in a GUI for troubleshooting if a PBI installed binary fails.
• Easy removal of PBI installations through the "Remove Programs"system utility.