FreeBSD 14.2-RC1 Brings Install Image Improvements

Ahead of FreeBSD 14.2 hopefully releasing in just over one week, FreeBSD 14.2-RC1 is out this weekend as the last planned development release for testing ahead of that much anticipated point release.

This weekend's FreeBSD 14.2-RC1 release brings some install image updates to enhance the experience out-of-the-box. FreeBSD 14.2 will now include more WiFi firmware on its CD disc-1 and DVD images to allow for wireless networking to be working out-of-the-box on more systems on initial boot. In addition, the FreeBSD installer is now able to download and install firmware packages for further enhancing that early hardware experience on FreeBSD.

With the FreeBSD 14.2 Beta 3 release there was initial publishing of OCI container images. With the FreeBSD 14.2-RC1 revision, the minimal OCI containers now include enough libraries that pkg for package management can at least function in that minimal environment.

That's it for the noted late stage changes ahead of FreeBSD 14.2. Download links and more details for FreeBSD 14.2-RC1 via the release announcement. FreeBSD 14.2-RELEASE is expected to be out around 3 December.

FreeBSD 14.2 at large brings a number of package updates such as to OpenSSL and libcxxrt, modernizing of the DVD package set, the availability of OCI container images, and various hardware driver updates. FreeBSD 15 remains in development as the next major feature release for this BSD operating system.