Re: [debian-knoppix] Suggestions for knoppix
This being the beginning of a new year and lots of people are making
suggestions for the new Knoppix, so I thought I'd throw in my wish list
too:
1) Cheat codes. Looking at the file knoppix-cheatcodes.txt, one finds 45
cheat codes. When you first boot, you are advised to press F2 for a list
of booting options, but only 13 cheat codes are display. My suggestion -
after pressing F2 and seeing 13 cheat codes, how about it says "Press F3
for more options". And when you press F3, you'll be presented with 13
more cheat codes and there should be a displayed message "Press F4 for
more options". And of course, finally F5. Using F2 through F5 gives
enough space to display 52 cheat codes, which is more than enough.
2) The hard disk installers. Many newbies would like to install Knoppix
to the hard drive, but it's not immediately obvious how to do this. To
find out about the existence of knx-hdinstall and knoppix-installer, you
have to search on the Internet or ask the mailing list. I know the
possibility of including an "Install Me" button has been discussed, but
I'd like to suggest an even easier way that requires no programming.
When you first boot up the Knoppix CD, you are presented with a splash
screen. How about including the instructions right there in the splash
screen:
To install Knoppix to the hard disk, type "knx-hdinstall" or
"knoppix-installer" at the root@tty1[/]# prompt.
3) Firewall. As far as I know, there is no firewall offered with
Knoppix. Yes, you can download one (I use Guarddog), but you have to
connect to the Internet if you want to download. Ideally, you should not
connect to the Internet until you have a firewall in place. I suggest
that some firewall program be included (not necessarily Guarddog), and
that users are prompted to configure the firewall when installing
Knoppix to the hard disk. It pays to be paranoid.
4) I have another issue with the Knoppix installers. The most important
feature still lacking is the ability to install the distro across
multiple partitions. It should be possible to create separate
partitions for /, /boot, /home, /tmp, /usr, /var, /opt and swap. This
has important security implications if you are running a server.
5) OK, I realize the above suggestions will consume a little bit of
space (especially the firewall), so something has to be removed to make
room. What would I eliminate? How about: /usr/X11R6/bin/xedit which
occupies 476K. There are already plenty of other good editors on Knoppix
(Vi, Vim, Emacs, Nedit and Kedit), and Xedit really isn't that good.
Guarddog occupies only 216K, and there are other firewalls that are even
smaller.
Happy New Year to all,
regards,
Robert
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