Re: d-i vs openSUSE's ancient installer
Harald Dunkel wrote:
>Recently I had the chance to install openSUSE 10.3 (2007) in a virtual
>machine. Instead of many dedicated menus in a chain Suse presents one
>big screen giving an overview over the most important installation
>options and their current settings (e.g. location, partitioning, which
>packages to install, etc.).
Harri, I'm not part of any installer project, so I speak only as a user.
Yes, openSUSE installer sounds very nice for that particular
application.
Now look at the number of architectures supported by openSUSE and the
number of architectures supported by Debian. Many more for Debian, yes?
Including some tiny systems with no graphical interface, and some very
large systems of thousands of nodes that must be installed without user
interaction.
Now look at the number of languages supported by Debian Installer,
counting both text and graphical modes. How many does that pretty
openSUSE installer support? (And by 'support' I mean a very high
percentage of all text translated into that language, not just a locale
setting.)
Debian Installer may be operated remotely via SSH or even serial link.
Can openSUSE installer?
Check DistroWatch for the number of active distros based on Debian, and
the number based on openSUSE. Big difference, yes? Debian Installer is
designed to support rebranding for such use, if they so choose.
Does any openSUSE installer, ancient or modern, support all that?
Debian Installer does. *ONE* Debian Installer project. Not multiple
forks and incompatible derivatives.
But if you like that pretty openSUSE installer, much happiness for you.
When it finishes you have an openSUSE system. When Debian Installer
finishes I have a Debian GNU/Linux system, and I may never have to see
the installer again. Perhaps there is a reason openSUSE spends so much
effort making a pretty installer?
--Don
Reply to: