On Wed, 9 Apr 2003 09:24:54 -0500
"Jeffrey L. Taylor" <jeff@austinblues.dyndns.org> wrote:
> If Debian drops the boot-floppies, I will drop Debian for the same
> reason I dropped Slackware. I have several serviceable machines with
> no CD drive, a floppy drive, and a NIC. Sounds like Debian users are
> friends of Bill G., "We have ways of making you upgrade (to endlessly
> more expensive hardware)".
Reaaaaallly? You look at the prices of floppies versus a cheap CD-ROM to
boot from? From Pricewatch. Floppies, $6. CD-Rom 56x... $18.
$12 is going to kill you? I think not. Compare the 6 floppies you pretty
much have to make to install Debian (woody) vs. the comparable CD image. Can
we say "A hell of a lot easier". Now place that CD in a case and let it sit
for 6 months. Let the floppies do the same. Guess which one has a virtually
nil chance of crapping out and which has a virtually nil chance of failing.
Then let's look at the other benefits. I have three things sitting near
my server.
LNX-BBC: The all-on-one Linux rescue CD. Cram that on a floppy. Didn't think
so.
Knoppix: For when I'm feeling silly and call it a rescue disc. Actually I
take it to my friend's houses so I can run Linux on their XP boxen.
Bootable Woody install: In case I need to reinstall in a hurry or I have
someone who wants me to plop Linux onto their box.
There is simply no excuse to have a machine with a floppy these days
unless it is a specialty machine (Netapp comes to mind.... early netapps).
The only reason floppies still exist in PCs is because the computer companies
are too scared to yank them out. I honestly haven't used my floppy since I
first installed Debian in, uhm... 1995? Did CD images exist for Debian back
then? And how much were CD-Rs, media and CD-ROMs? You could make the
argument then that it was an economic problem to only have CD-ROM images.
Today, I doubt it.
--
Steve C. Lamb | I'm your priest, I'm your shrink, I'm your
PGP Key: 8B6E99C5 | main connection to the switchboard of souls.
| -- Lenny Nero - Strange Days
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