boot disks, debian, and world domination.
Hello.
Many of you have probably noted that I dissapeared ... I was reinstalling
from scratch... (dang it's hard to hit enter after typing /mkext2fs
/dev/hdc)
During install I took notes: here are my conclusions along with,
proposals, and fix ideas.
Durring install, if an error occurs, the message is writen to the
background, and any futher dialog boxes created, over right, this error
leaving with part of the error vissible on the screen. I propose, we do
one of 2 things. 1: dump ALL errors on a second vt, via the syslog
fucntion (Note I'm not sure thats in the Base disk, but it's in the base
install. 2: all errors, recieve a full screen dialog box of there own,
like the old dos installs used to do. Ie: a error ocurs reading the cdrom,
the screen is redrawn showing nothing but a small message explaining that
an error has occured, and then the error text itself to describe it. once
enter is pushed the screen is redrawn again, to show the install menu.
when at the stage to install the kernel and modules, the user/installer is
asked to provide a place where the kernel and modules can be found. this
in most cases is the same place *or device* where the base tgz file is
found. I propose we try and eliminate the second question of where the
base files are located. by adding code to the base install that would
check and see if the base.tgz is found where the kernel was found. IE: If
I state that the kernel is on /dev/hdb1/debian/* the install process
should automaticly LOOK to see if the base.tgz is to be found there. If
it's not, install should then ask where to find it.
*Warning what follows is just an idea*
I'm currently looking into Tom's unix on a floopy... has anyone else
looked into this? Appernantly they have been able to get Loads of stuff
onto one floopy... quoted from one of the readme's.
There is lots of space, delete emacs and dmsdos.o and other useless stuff.
Not knowing how big emacs is, I don't know if thats GREAT, but I'm
planning to try and get a set of debian base disks, working with this
system. someone told me on IRC that they had gotten 8mb of bins onto the
floppy. while I think that number is a little farfetched, we don't have
anything to loose from trying. I think that if we could get the base
install down to 3-4 disks, that would be GREAT.
*end Idea*
I also noted that after the reboot, all the nicely laid out, dialog boxes
and so forth where gone. where did they go? ... I propose that we add a
final step, to the install process after everything else is done, which is
just a required reading step. IE: the dialog interface reapears with a
short, page-page and a half, discription of debian. kinda like the first
dialog box, we have after we chose color, or b/w. This dialog box would
list 3 important things. 1: the existance of /usr/doc/package_name/ 2: a
simple useage of man. Ie: man file. and 3: list of other ways of reciveing
help.
Speaking of getting Help, the users of IRC should Not send ppl away,
because they find the question "newbie-ish" or common knowlage. Ie: we
should shun away from saying things like: thats to newbie-ish, ask on
linpeople.
I also, propose that the smail config script be modified to give a 4th
option, for testing. this option should give the user, the ability to
subscribe themselves to debian-[user, *] this shouldn't cause to much of a
problem, due to the confim methods, currently in place, on the mailing
list subscribe procedures. This is kinda like the question pine askes you
when you start it for the first time. "would you like to recive a message
describing how to more efectivly use pine" (or something like that.)
Never having installed sendmail, I can't comment on it's config script,
but a comonality between there options, such as the test message, would be
nice as well.
oh, well nuff for now. more to follow. sleep now.
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Debian Linux -* www.debian.org *-
Go and give M$ the flipper, use Debian Linux
-K
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