Bug#32595: remove obsolete and confusing acquisition methods: harddisk, mounted, cdrom, nfs

[Gudmundur Ragnar <ragnar@this.is>]

Hello,

Warning ! this is potato talk.
 
On Sat, Jan 30, 1999 at 04:12:05PM +0000, Jules Bean wrote:
> On 31 Jan 1999, Martin Mitchell wrote:
> > 1) A m68k computer with a 60Mb debian installation. Normally I use the nfs
> > method. Apt is just not feasible, it wants to copy everything over before
> > it starts - there simply isn't space on the disk to do this.

Not / copy everything - should be an option.
It is good if you have the space and slow a connection.

> Hm.  I'm pretty sure the apt with a file:/ URL doesn't copy, it installs
> straight from the remote.  Or is this not true?

I have used NFS from local mirror and over a slow link, that worked ok.
I also used the mirror to install from local file sysem. The problem
with mirror is that it moves lots of stuff that I never use.

I now use Apt set for http access from a local Squid proxy.
It save diskspace and transfer over Mirror and I am always
working with the most current files.

There are things that could be done using squid like this,
virtual mirrors, cache_peer options for load balancing,
addjustable disk use and update rules. One could set up a
virtual file system as a front end to it ... etc.

It would be good to have an apsolute URL for each file
and not server dependent URLs.

I also recomend that we stop using deb files and make each
package a directory so as not to have to transfer the lot
when there is only a change to a single file. I also think
we should split the Package-file into a director structure
and start thinking in terms of object-oriented design.

Then again. The user inserts a floppy into a virgin box,
and ends up with a installed system. The support floppy
for a CDROM install is the CDROM install floppy. The install
floppy for networked computer is the ethernet install floppy
and the rest is the hacker you can do-it floppy. And lets
have no talk of hosts, access methods, and package selection.

Best
ragnar@this.is
this.is/ragnar