On Mon, Sep 17, 2001 at 09:53:09AM +0200, Michael Schmitz wrote: > Regardless of what Ethan thinks, I'm a far cry from a clueless newbie. i don't think your a clueless newbie. > Now imagine the newbie, having partitioned and set up his system the Wrong > Way (tm), then forgotten about the details such as the number of the > bootstrap partition. If I understand right, no Debian user ever needs to > type in all that OF stuff anymore, it's done by the installer, right? So yes woody boot-floppies nag you very strongly several times if you partition wrong, the only thing it unfortunatly doesn't test for is the correct order of the bootstrap partition, thats a tad tricky to code... the Make System bootable stage sets up a valid and correct /etc/yaboot.conf and uses mkofboot to make the system bootable. (only if you have an 800K Apple_Bootstrap partition) this includes setting the boot-device variable. but it can do nothing if the boot-device variable is reset to defaults so putting the bootstrap partition first is still HIGHLY recommended as its the only way to ensure users don't have to fiddle with OF. > how do I get into OF, how do I list the current boot device setting, and > what are all these cryptic ,:\? (Don't tell _me_, rather write a section > for the install guide that covers this in depth. I can't imagine it's > already explained there, the potato OF install section doesn't cut it.) users never read documentation they just mail me saying `my system won't boot no mo!!!!!!! help !!!' > If you know how to do it. Now my understanding is Debian should be useful and thats the key, newbies, or hell even many experts don't know OF, or don't know it well enough to remember the exact syntax to use. its MUCH MUCH easier for me to just tell someone to hold down command option p r while cold booting then it is to explain OF. > to more than just the hardcore technical people, and something like a boot > setup that's self healing in a way (like having a valid yaboot bootstrap > partition _first_ in the map) will help a lot. It's been pointed out on > this list incessantly :-) It's even in the FM I think. it is a great help, people who reconfigure thier systems properly never need help again, those who insist on keeping it broken mail me over and over again to be reminded how to fix it. > What you said is it doesn't matter where the bootstrap partition resides, > because Real Men (tm) will know its number by heart, as well as the > necessary OF voodoo to reset the boot variable. That's a bit different in > my book. in the Real World nobody knows the OF voodoo and just mail me when it breaks, i just send a canned reply to all of them: hold down command option p r while cold booting until it reboots once then let go. if they partitioned correctly, problem solved, if not then i have to go through a long discussion of how to fiddle with OF, thats not fun, believe me. -- Ethan Benson http://www.alaska.net/~erbenson/
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