Bug#1102140: #1102140 CD-ROM is still first priority package repository in Test/Trixia

You might all have valid arguments on a technical level.
But you have to take two step back and not get tangled into technical subtleties and just use common sense.

It all comes down too:

Let's say we have 1000 random Debian users performing a new server installation.
999 of these will not use optical media (CD-ROM/DVD) and will have a broken package-configuration (out-of-the-box) and will need to take special steps to get it working (modifying the sources file).

The last 1 of these will have a well working system.

Please design Debian to target the vast majority, by fare, of installations scenarios by NOT putting CD-ROM as the 1st priority package source in the sources.

I would not be surprise the actual ratio is 1.000.000/1.....a USB flash drive with room for 5GB iso is way cheaper today than buying recordable optical media (if you can even buy them). Which only make it even more absurd the out-of-the-box configuration is targeting this 1 user!

On Tue, Apr 8, 2025 at 12:12 AM Steve McIntyre <steve@einval.com> wrote:

Hey guys,

On Mon, Apr 07, 2025 at 11:04:49PM +0200, Holger Wansing wrote:
>
>Am 7. April 2025 20:23:09 MESZ schrieb Pascal Hambourg <pascal@plouf.fr.eu.org>:
>>On 07/04/2025 at 17:32, Holger Wansing wrote:
>>>
>>> So, it's another report of "please disable the sources.list entries from installation media, when installation is finished".
>>
>>Sort of. I think there was some discussion about this topic in the past.
>>
>>> But there's no difference, if the CD/DVD image is on optical media or on USB...
>>
>>By default an optical disc is mounted on /media/cdrom and makes apt happy, whereas a USB flash drive is usually mounted elsewhere.
>>
>>> It does not get any updates in any case.
>>
>>IIRC, the issue is not when doing updates but when installing packages which are present in the original installation image and apt insists on using the installation media instead of the network repositories.
>
>We should not make a difference here: on the long term you will need sources.list entries, that work for the whole archive.
>Still rely on an installation image as only source will not work for the long future.
>You will for sure end up with the situation, where a package you need is not on the CD/DVD image, and then you have to switch to a debian online mirror anyway.
>
>Am I right with this, or do I miss something?

The reasoning for the current setup has been:

* if you're installing from single CD / small image, then it's not
useful after installation, so don't keep the sources.list entry

* if you're using a larger image (DVD/BD) etc. that might be part of
a full set, keep the sources.list entry/entries - they include a
fuller set of packages, maybe complete if you have the full set

There is not a single good answer here. :-/

--
Steve McIntyre, Cambridge, UK. steve@einval.com
Dance like no one's watching. Encrypt like everyone is.
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