Re: debian

[cr <cr@orcon.net.nz>]

On Sunday 22 June 2003 04:30, Pigeon wrote:
> On Sun, Jun 22, 2003 at 01:07:21AM +1200, cr wrote:
> > On Saturday 21 June 2003 21:55, Alex Malinovich wrote:
> > > And, just so I can join in the foray of the auto-detect flame-fest
> > > here, if a user doesn't know his hardware well enough to be able to
> > > pick it from a list he shouldn't be installing an OS in the first
> > > place.
> >
> > Errr, *wrong*.    Much of my gear is second-hand, and of course the first
> > thing the original owners invariably do is lose the manuals.  :(    My
> > current motherboard is the first one I've ever had  a manual for, ditto
> > my S3 VGA card, and I've *never* owned any monitor of a brand that's been
> > listed in the 'X' config options.
>
> Take the lid off, write down all the type numbers, product codes,
> serial numbers even, off all the cards, disk drives etc, and the type
> numbers off the large ICs. Do the same for the numbers on the back of
> the monitor; if there aren't any take that apart too and write down
> anything written on the circuit board. FCC IDs can be useful too. If
> in doubt, write down everything. Then type the numbers into Google
> until you get some hits that seem to relate to what you actually saw
> when you took the lid off. It may be a bit laborious, but it works,
> and it can even break the obfuscation of the real manufacturer that is
> a problem with eg. secondhand Compaq parts.
>
> Autodetection? Pah. Most of my experience of the above procedure has
> been in getting Windoze machines working.

I agree this can be done and I've done it myself.   I have a little file of 
hard drive configurations for example.   I also agree about the unreliability 
of autodetection, as it happens.

What I was disputing was the assertion that 'a user who doesn't know his 
hardware ...  shouldn't be installing'.    There are plenty of unavoidable 
reasons why an installer may not know the details of the hardware.   The sort 
of procedure you're talking about above comes in the 'if all else fails' 
category.   And yes, I've been there too.

cr