Re:Re: Debian installation floppy images
Guys,
first of all, thankyou for the quick reaction.
(Commercial supporters MUST learn from the Linux community!)
>----------
>>> I have suggestions to facilitate 'greenhorns' coming from
>>> MacLand that are curious about Debian Linux:
>>> - the easiest way would be to post the floppy image files
>>> not only as raw images but also as Apple Disk Copy files.
>>> Every Mac user can take this utility from his MacOS install
>>> CD, so there is not even a need to provide this tool
>>> on the Debian ftp site.
>
>Actually, the file format is the same - you just have to fix the
>type/creator codes... I think it's supposed to be the same as the standard
>apple disk images, but I'm going to quote from a LinuxPPC-user message from
>long ago. This should be relatively easy to do, I'd think - but it would
>still require having a MacBinarized copy of the disk images.
>
>Date: Tue, 05 Jan 1999 02:38:43 +0100
>From: Martin Costabel <costabel@wanadoo.fr>
>Subject: supp.img via MacOS (Was Re: FTP Problems (fwd))
>
>> Kevin Puetz wrote:
>>
>>> >> Also, could someone who has created a diskette of the two images make
>Apple
>>> >> disk images from them (and upload these images)? That would make getting
>>> >> floppies easier...
>>
>> Here is the solution to this problem. It is so simple that I feel quite
>> stupid (but still a little less than you all :-)).
>>
>> ***The ramdisk.images are the same thing as Apple disk images***
>>
>> You can indeed just download supp.img from linuxppc.org on your Mac in
>> MacOS. Then use ResEdit to change the type to dimg and the creator to
>> ddsk (or type=DDim, creator=DDp+), or maybe one of them suffices, I
>> don't know. Then just use DiskCopy (or DiskDup+ from the LinuxPPC R4 CD)
>> and put it on a floppy. You don't even need to format the floppy before.
>> This works. I just tried it.
>>
>> Have fun
>> --
>> Martin
Ok, fine.
I go an try this and then feed back my mileage.
If it turns out to still be that easy, it would be nice to
mention this in the general Debian Linux install instructions
(where the usage of dd and rawrite2.exe are explained).
I think that would not be a shame :-)
>>> - some smart guy (what are you looking at me?) could 'port'
>>> rawrite2.exe or dd to the MacOS so it would run native
>>> giving the possibility to use the same raw floppy image files.
>>> Well, this possibility is not as cheap (in term of effort)
>>> as the former.
>>> - out on the net there exist some NFSd for the MacOS, this
>>> would allow for net-installing Debian Linux onto the target
>>> machine. You agree with me that this might be a bit tricky
>>> too for the 'first time user'.
>
>Way too tricky, and should wait until there are at least working
>floppys for an install.
Sure too tricky, I knew that.
But I simply do not like to ask for something with less than
2 variants of solution suggestions to discuss about. :-)
>>> I look forward that you agree with me that my first proposition
>>> is the simplest one (it's no more than to convert and upload a
>>> bunch of additional files) and gives easy potential to 'greenhorns'
>>> from MacLand interested in Debian Linux.
>
>Umm... until there is an installer that works (someone correct me if there
>is, please - are the instructions that say use tar to unpack the base
>out-of-date? Please say yes) I think it's best to discourage greenhorns any
>way possible... to avoid disasters.
I maybe did not tell clearly in my first email: even if my
everyday Computer is a PowerMac w. MacOS, what I am trying to
install is Debian Linux on an intel Pentium 100MHz so I am
juggling with the i386 floppy disk images...
As I read, I know that floppy based install isn't yet working
on the 68k Macs.
On the other hand I tried to install Debian Linux on my old
Mac SE/30 too using the local filesystem method. I managed to get
the penguin booter, kernel, rambased fs and the big base package
onto its HFS partition and somehow working.
To my disappointment i discovered following 2 flaws: the SE/30 has the
well known built-in 9" b/w screen so I selected "monochrome display"
at the first installer choice.
This leads to ill-displayed border decoration (ascii frameborders)
that remembers a lot the old&crappy XT-sw & DOS 2.x era.
But then, going back and choosing "color display" (who would do
that knowing to work on an old "shoebox"Mac?) the frameborders
get drawn with the proper ascii characters!
Sorry, not enough: there must be something wrong with the
hilite of the choosen selection: only the first character of
the "menu entry" is barely hilited - navigation has to be done
blindly...
In addition many of these Installer dialogs are too wide for the
Mac's 9" screen: chars get cut off at right and the descriptions are
not fully readable; worse: characters get cut off at left and it
happens to be up to the window column holding of the hilited "menu item"
character. One can cope with the install choices only if one
knows what one's doing - blindly!
So far I did not succeed in installing Debian Linux
on my SE/30, but I am willed to try hard again.
Thankyou again.
eg
Stephan
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