Bug#61360: PCMCIA system left behind by base install gives pr oblems
>I don't see how you can be using the latest slink boot-floppies --
>those use the kernel and modules for 2.0.38.
I'm using a slink CD set from last year April/May. I don't know exactly
which base system is in there. But I don't think the average first-time
installer should need to know this either.
>Why would this be more helpful than just telling the use to run
>'apt-get upgrade' or something?
>I don't like doing wierd things to hack around problems...
I just think it would be helpful if the message reminded relative newcomers
such as myself, that since the version of the kernel which has just been
installed (2.0.36 in my case) is not the same as the version used during the
boot process, that it's not a good idea to leave the PCMCIA modules lying
around. Currently the message makes you think, "hold on - why does it say
it's no longer needed ? I have a PCMCIA slot. I'll keep it".
I think just an extra bit of text on the "uninstall PCMCIA ?" message, such
as "you can keep the PCMCIA modules which were used for installation, but we
STRONGLY RECOMMEND that you reinstall pcmcia-cs and pcmcia-modules-`umode
-v`" would be more helpful. I don't think anything more than a slight
strengthening of the message is required. (Forcing the uninstall would be
more radical, but involve software changes, which I agree is not a good
thing at this stage.) Maybe with a 2.2 kernel with PCMCIA built-in, this
problem won't occur anyway.
Of course, in my specific case, I suspect I should have RTFM more
thoroughly, but in general, people will (legitimately) not always have RTFM
and understood it before they try their first install. If I hadn't
installed Debian on several desktop machines before trying this laptop, and
therefore "known" that it must be a problem with something I'd done (because
this stuff is actually tested before it ships !), my conclusion would
probably have been "Debian is crap because their PCMCIA subsystem crashes
the machine every time you change a card" and I'd have been back to Windows
98.
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