Re: Choice of Desktop environment at install time using netinst CD.
Rick Thomas wrote:
>
>With the amd64 netinst CD I have found a spot in the maze of helpful
>"expert" options offered when the CD first boots that lets me choose
>which Desktop Environment will be installed later on by tasksel. This
>is really nice because it means I don't have to have a separate (and
>much larger) CD image for each DE I might want to install.
>
>Unfortunately, the PowerPC[*] netinst installer has nothing comparable.
>
>How difficult would it be to provide an optional target (analogous to
>"install" and "expert") in the yaboot configuration file, that defines
>the preferred Desktop Environment?
>
>Or failing that, can the instructions be changed (similar to the
>"video=ofonly" instruction) to tell people about a boot-time option to
>set the preferred DE?
>
>Best of all, of course, would be to have tasksel provide a menu option
>to let the user pick at runtime whether to use gnome or kde or xfce or
>whatever, but that's been discussed before.
>
>Just thinking...
>
>Rick
>
>[*] Having only tried the PowerPC and amd64 installers, I don't have
>any data on other architectures. Does anybody know how, for example,
>SPARC or MIPS handle this problem?
Basically, we put a lot of effort in for the isolinux-based x86 boot
menus to give the options here. I've added code to debian-cd to
convert those same menus into grub format for UEFI x86 booting. AFAIK
none of the other arches have that support. If you'd like to play with
yaboot and see if you can get it to play ball, I doubt anybody would
be averse to adding that as a feature. :-)
To be honest, it may be too late for Wheezy, but I guess it depends on
how big the changes would be.
--
Steve McIntyre, Cambridge, UK. steve@einval.com
"It's actually quite entertaining to watch ag129 prop his foot up on
the desk so he can get a better aim." [ seen in ucam.chat ]
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