Re: tecra version of hamm

[Steve Dunham <dunham@cps.msu.edu>]

bruce@va.debian.org writes:

> Yo Steve,

> And does using GRUB to boot get around the Tecra problem for bzimage
> kernels? If not, what does using GRUB to boot buy us? Sorry about not
> being on the same page.

I'm assuming it helps the tecra - it helps on my Dell Xpi which is
supposed to have the same problem.  I use bzimage kernels now -
because I can.  

In the posting you're responding to, I was just giving an interim
solution for machines with the Tecra problem until the disks are
available.

I personally use grub because it groks ext2fs and, of course, because
it boots bzimage kernels.  As far as the general case:


 PROS:

   Nicer looking boot menu
   You can edit the config file without reinstalling the boot sector.
   Boots HURD and freebsd too.
   Groks ext2fs (also fat and ffs.)


 CONS:

   Takes more space on floppy (about 32k).
   Doesn't have password protection (lilo does).
   Not "standard" in the Linux community


As far as the Tecra's are concerned - the kernel probably should be
fixed so the bzimage kernels boot on these systems.  When I am free of
impending presentations, I could bring this up on the kernel mailing
list again.


Eventually, I'd like to see a "Debian for Laptops" with:

   PCMCIA Install Disk
   APM-enabled kernel and APM-enabled PCMCIA modules (either in the
"base" tar file, or automatically installed.)
   Tecra-compatible kernel or bootloader.


For general installations, everybody knows that I want non-interactive
installs, but at the very least I'd like to see install-mime go away.
It makes the install/upgrade process unnecessarily painful.  (You have
to carefully read the screen, think, then choose a number about 10
times during the install.)  IMHO, this makes installation
difficult/confusing for the new user.  (And for me.)

My best idea for a replacement is to have install-mime manipulate a
database, and have a gtk or newt application that the user can run
afterwards to order the applications. (Install them in last place by
default, or have a suitability index to help with the default ordering -
i.e. xv is more suitable for still images than xanim, etc.)

It would be nice if the ordering was stored in a different place than
the application/mime-type database, so an upgrade doesn't move
anything around.


Steve
dunham@cps.msu.edu



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