Not usefull kernel images take all first Debian sarge CD :(
Hi,
>From end of 2003 I'm testing upcoming Debian versions - sarge. Every
week I'm downloading first 3 CD's at work and upgrading my work and home
Linux system's. And I noticed, that there are fewer and fewer usefull
packages in first Debian CD's :( My patience is running out with latest
version of Official debian sarge CD's - now various kernel images uses
about 480 MB in first Sarge CD and about 100 Mb in second CD. Because of
this there are only 155 MB of other packages in first CD :(
When Debian woody was frozen there are similar problems - look at:
http://lists.debian.org/debian-cd/2002/debian-cd-200205/msg00035.html
As I remmember Philip Charles removed old kernel-images from first
Debian woody CD - look at
http://lists.debian.org/debian-cd/2002/debian-cd-200205/msg00043.html
But it seems program, that creates debian CD images wasn't fixed,
because now in first CD are these kernel images (386,586,686,k6,k7 and
smp variants):
kernel-image-2.4.24-i386 - ~78 Mb
kernel-image-2.4.21-1-i386 - ~74 Mb
kernel-image-2.4.22-i386 - ~78 Mb
kernel-image-2.4.22-xfs - ~22 Mb
kernel-image-2.4.23-i386 - ~78 Mb
kernel-image-2.6.0-i386 - ~54 Mb
kernel-image-speakup-i386 - ~10 Mb
kernel-image-2.4.20-3-i386 - ~70 Mb
Who need old kernel images with security and other bugs, especially on
first CD ?
I suggest always include only one latest 'stable' kernel version and (this
is very important) kernel-pcmcia-modules and kernel-headers of this kernel
version on first Debian CD (386,586,686,k6,k7 variants, but no smp variants,
because there are not so many smp systems and because of this they can
install kernel images from internet or next CD's).
Kernel headers are very usefull for users, which should compile some modules
for internet access, for example there are lots of "winmodems" and internal
DSL modems, which reguires special kernel modules, not included in standard
kernel, but included in driver CD of this hardware.
In second CD could be smp variants of latest 'stable' kernel image (and
kernel-pcmcia-modules with kernel-headers) and also only one latest
'testing' version of kernel image (2.6.1 now, in woody was 2.4.18).
Maybe kernel sources of latest stable and testing kernel images could be
included in second CD too, i'm not sure about this, but I'm sure, that
nobody needs old 2.6.0-test9 kernel image, when there is newer.
Of course, we can include latest 2.6.x kernel image in first CD, like in
woody there are both 2.2.xx and 2.4.xx included in first CD also I'm not
sure where should be specialised kernel-images, like kernel-image-speakup,
but I'm 100% sure, that all old and outdated kernel-images should never
be in first and second CD's.
All outdated kernel-images should be in last CD, because most of people
will use latest 'stable' or 'testing' images, not old images with
security or other bugs.
Results of popularity-contest should never change this decision, because
there always be lots of people, who uses old kernel-images (for example
I still use 2.4.20 on my home system, because still have no time to
upgrade to 2.6 and I see no point to upgrade to 2.4.24, because there
can't be any security problems with my home system :)
It seems, that debian CD images creation software should me modified and
never make first CD image with lots of kernel-images, but without
usefull packages. Maybe I should report a bug for debian-cd package?
--
Good luck,
Mantas Kriaučiūnas <mantas@akl.lt> Jabber ID: mantas@akl.lt
Public organization "Open Source for Lithuania" - www.akl.lt
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