Re: Debian 0.93R6 install
From: mortond@blueeagle.com.ccnet.com
> The color issue is not really all THAT important is it?
It is cheap to get right, so we will do it along with the more
important stuff. The real issue is other aspects of the user
interface.
> After all one should only have to interface with the installation
> program very ocasionally, if all goes well.
Most users decide to stick with a system (or not) by what happens during
and immediately after the install.
Also, installation is the largest user-support headache, so we have
an incentive to put lots of work into it and cut down on those support
calls.
> I miss the LILO configuration script from Slackware releases, primarily
> because I am not installing to the 1st. hard drive and have to boot from a
> floppy.
Someone graciously contributed the missing item I needed to do the LILO
install automaticaly without blowing away the ability to boot the other
operating system you have installed on your computer. It'll take a while
before I get to write a script to take advantage of this, though.
> I installed the system to sda2 got to the reboot prompt and was stuck!
The dumb boot floppy would not work for you because you needed to
specify something on the command line, right? I put syslinux in the
base so that we could use it to make smarter boot floppies, and I'll
take advantage of this when I rewrite the installer.
> I had to install Slackware to hda3 with just the a & ap sets create a LILO
> boot floppy and use that for booting.
You can boot Debian from the boot floppy in the installation disk set.
Just give "root=/dev/sda2" on the boot command line. It might waste
some memoryh on a RAM disk, but you can copy the floppy and use "rdev"
to fix that.
> However I think that may be the reason my system does not perform correctly.
> The boot process echoes the following:
Some modules don't work because Linus doesn't use modules on his own system
and is thus late to fix their bugs, and the 1.2.13 kernel will get no more
bug fixes from Linus at all because it's "stable". I haven't had time to chase
these problems on my own. I can't get anyone else to take on the kernel
packages.
> unresolved symbols in module/lib/modules/1.2.13/fs/xits.o
Do you mean XIAFS? There's no "xits.o". You aren't using the Francis Xia
Filesystem, are you? That's what XIAFS is for. I don't know anyone who
uses it.
> unresolved symbols in modules/lib/modules/1.2.13/scsi/eata.o
You have an Adaptec SCSI controller, and you don't need this module.
> Failed to load module! The symbols from kernal 1.2.13 don't match 1.2.13
Dumbest message in the world, isn't it?
> Initialization of lp failed
This is your line printer.
> lsmod lists:
> binfmt_elf 2
> slip 2
> ppp 5
> dummy 1
> xiaf 6
> sysv 7
> nfs 11
> msdos 6
Hm. Drop the XIAFS. Try to do without the "dummy" network driver, if you
can. My latest kernels include "msdos", so see if mounting the "msdos"
filesystem still works without loading the "msdos" module.
Of course most of this is a symptom of the setup program not understanding
what modules are actually used with a particular kernel. We can improve
on this.
> Also I miss Midnight Commander
Someone is working on it now.
> How do I make a LILO boot floppy in Debian?
Make a syslinux boot floppy. Look for information in /usr/lib/syslinux .
It's a bit neater than LILO for floppies.
> Why won't the modules load correctly?
Because they have real bugs that I haven't taken the time to fix. Fortunately,
the bugs are in the least important modules, but I understand the messages
are distressing to see and our module configuration can be much improved.
> Why do git and mc only run in mono?
We'll have a real mc package soon. GIT probably needs a configuration file.
> Answers in plain english please, I am self taught re computers and am
> just about hanging on now!!
Oops. You're hanging out with a rough crowd here!
> System:
> Toshiba T6600CD, 24K RAM, 504MB hardrive, Toshiba 2x CDrom, MS sound system
> External SCSI Quantum 510 MB hardrive, Syquest EZ-Drive ( very neat )
> Princeton Ultra16 monitor.
I wish I could afford a system as nice as most of my users. I'd better
get that CD-ROM business going.
I am going to catch some sleep now, and hopefully tomorrow I can patch up
a few modules and test the kernels with low memory.
Thanks
Bruce
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