Re: Live File System
J.A. Bezemer writes:
> Size: small: barely enough tools to do some basic system administration;
> intended to be single-user (namely root)
I don't think this is very sensible option because the current disks
can do this albeit one must know what one is doing e.g. one must know
which file systems must be mounted.
> medium: basic multi-user without fancy stuff, no X etc. Something
> like the current base system (probably a little bit larger)
This is already useful and interesting and it's also easier to
do. However, I believe that this would not be very interesting for
people who have heard about GNU/Linux and want to try it. But it would
be very useful for system adminstrators.
- fixing broken systems (both Windows and GNU/Linux)
- live Debian CD should have some way to install and easily
configure a normal Debian system.
> large: Full-featured system, with X, mp3-player(!! ;-), gimp, gnome
> etc. Something like on the Corel CD (well, I've only seen the
> directory listing ;-)
Why not? To make X Window System work well needs a lot of thinking,
though.
> Writable: no: Users can take a look, but not change anything big. Some
> pre-defined limited number of config files (hostname, X config,
> etc) copied at startup from DOS/Win partition; /home mounted
> from DOS/Win partition (UMSDOS or ext2 loopback)
> yes: Users can change anything they want, (un)install packages
> etc.
>
> To me, a relatively large read/write system seems the best option. Allows new
> users to fully exploit Debian's possibilities without repartitioning and
> installing. When they want to use the system "for real", repartitioning and
> copying is all that's needed.
Somehow I don't feel that installing and removing packages are
needed. The packages that can be fitted on a CD will be there
allways. Also, much work is avoided. A pretty manysided Debian
installation can be put on a CD so I think that some way of arranging
writable /home is enough.
> - An small ext2 loopback on harddisk with lots of symlinks to a fs
> on the CD (may be ext2 loopback, but I think RockRidge is lots faster)
>
> - Use an Overlay filesystem, details on
> http://home.att.net/~artnaseef/ovlfs/ovlfs.html
Isn't Overlay file system overly complicated for this purpose? Why not
just initrd with symlinks to CD and an optional¹ loopback for home on
hard disk?
> Are other distros doing anything that might be worth considering?
None I know of but I have not tried other distros since Debian 1.2. I
once had a RH CD (possibly version 3) which had a live file system.
¹ Some people might not like that a system they don't know tinkers
with their hard disk.
--
Ari Makela
hauva@iki.fi http://www.iki.fi/hauva/
"You live and learn. At any rate, you live. You also panic." - Douglas Adams
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