Re: Bug#32595: remove obsolete and confusing acquisition methods: harddisk, mounted, cdrom, nfs

[Enrique Zanardi <ezanardi@ull.es>]

On Sun, Jan 31, 1999 at 02:21:38AM +1100, Martin Mitchell wrote:
> Enrique Zanardi <ezanardi@ull.es> writes:
> 
> > On Sun, Jan 31, 1999 at 12:21:00AM +1100, Martin Mitchell wrote:
> > > I strongly object to removing all of those except cdrom. I don't find apt
> > > adequate for my needs at this stage.
> > 
> > What about dpkg-multicd?
> 
> I have no objection to cdrom being replaced with dpkg-multicd.

But dpkg-multicd is more than multiple-cds. There's multi-nfs,
multi-mount, ... that replace nfs, mounted, ... 
That's why we think dpkg default methods can be removed/extracted to a
different package.
 
> > I don't see anything "essential" in them. There are a lot of methods
> > available on slink (and slink's base system) that work as well than dpkg
> > default methods. 
> 
> Remember that dselect isn't just used to install the system, you also
> need to maintain it. I don't find the apt method an appropriate tool at
> this stage for maintenance. Where it excels at present is in the initial
> installation.

Why do you think it's not suited for maintenance? I've been using it on
a lot of machines here for ~6 months (with a local mirror, ftp access or
http access) and it works a lot better than the other methods.
Using autofs it even works with an NFS mounted mirror.

> > If you still need dpkg default methods, a proper solution would be to
> > extract them to a different package (say, dpkg-defaults), make dpkt-ftp,
> > dpkg-mountable, dpkg-multicd, dpkg-defaults, apt ... provide a virtual
> > package "dpkg-method" and make dpkg depend on dpkg-method.
> 
> This should be done in the future, but not at the moment, certainly not
> just before slink's release.

Sounds reasonable. But it should be done for potato.

> I don't call the 6 options currently in my dselect's access menu crowded,
> I'd say it was flexible.

If some of those options don't work, some are duplicated, and there's no
way to get rid of them, that's crowded.

--
Enrique Zanardi					   ezanardi@ull.es