RE: slink_cd v 1.06 released
On Fri, 12 Feb 1999, Jim Westveer wrote:
>> From: Steve McIntyre [mailto:stevem@chiark.greenend.org.uk]
>> Subject: slink_cd v 1.06 released
>>
>> Please give feedback;
><snip>
>
>I set up 1.06 and it ran with no apparent problems.
>
>Interesting observation:
>
>I have been making all 5 disks (1-4 + non-free) and have
>had a couple of reports that perhaps this is NOT such a good
>idea, UNLESS one actually has all 5 disks in your possession.
>
>e.g. If you make images for all 5 disks, then just burn disks
>1 & 2 for someone, they get in Packages.cd ALL the information
>about what is on what disks.
Yup, this is a known "feature".
>Now a poor person with only 2 disks, configures something
>in dselect (because he can "see" non-free) that either
>intentionally uses or unintentionally requires a package in
>non-free; and fires of Install...
>
>They will go happily along installing the programs with dselect
>multi-cd, until they get the message "disk 5 required".
>
>Humm the "user" does not have disk 5, does not know what
>disk 5 is, and becomes totally flummuxed.
>
>The only reason I mention it, is that when "Official CDs" are
>made, we should NOT have non-free turned on, and then simply
>post the images 1-4.
Yes, that's the plan. The script no longer defaults to making the non-free
disk.
In fact, there may be a cunning way around this - if people want to make a
5-CD set but only sell the first 1 or 2 or 4 to people, then we can simply
fiddle the Packages files on the disks so that each one only lists the
contents of the discs up to and including itself:
Packages.cd on 1 knows about disc 1
Packages.cd on 2 knows about discs 1,2
Packages.cd on 5 knows about discs 1,2,5
etc.
Then we tell users to insert the last disc of the set they have first.
Hmmm. I'm looking at how to do this now...
--
Steve McIntyre, Allstor Software smcintyr@allstor-sw.co.uk
<a href=http://www.chiark.greenend.org.uk/~stevem/comp/>My PC page</a>
"Can't keep my eyes from the circling sky,
"Tongue-tied & twisted, Just an earth-bound misfit, I..."
Reply to: