nori heikkinen wrote:
however, something like knoppix, based on debian yet compatible with everything i've ever slipped it into, makes me wonder why the initial debian install process can't be easier than it currently is.
Short answer:* Debian developers don't have to install often (install it once, upgrade it forever), so they don't feel the pain enough to do anything about it.
* Debian runs on 13 (or thereabouts) different architectures. The developers want Debian to be consistent across platforms. The other easy-to-install distros tend to run on only one, or maybe two architectures, so they can afford to tweak the hardware detection parts.
* Better hardware detection is coming, but as mentioned in the first answer above, installation is not a high priority for the developers.
Solution:* Volunteer your coding time, or hire (or persuade) a programmer, to improve the installation routine for all Debian-supported platforms, or wait until things get better.
Rest assured that Debian's installation is not difficult by intention, but rather by neglect. Debian is built by volunteers, who have families and addictions to marathons of "The Simpsons" and can't dedicate 24x7 to fix the installer. Throw enough money/coders at the problem, and it'll get fixed.
-- Kent