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Re: Misleading Debian's installer choice



Jordan Metzmeier wrote:
> On 06/29/2010 04:48 PM, Merciadri Luca wrote:
> > I'm not sure to understand fully your answer. I know that `guided
> > partitioning' is what's adviced for a new user, because it's easy to
> > configurate, but I'm here speaking about users who're not beginners,
> > but who want to understand the distinction the Debian installer makes
> > between the `/' as it is normally in Linux filesystems, and the `/' in
> > the installation process, which is actually everything except what was
> > asked to be put on other partitions.
>
>
> I don't understand where the difference is. The installer treats it the
> same as a Linux system would. / would contain all files and directories
> that are not located inside of another mounted partition. I don't see a
> distinction to make? When you are selecting mountpoints, you can just
> think of that as a TUI for fstab configuration.
>
> What would you suggest to present the user differently?
I don't think about necessarily changing the installation, but
indicating the convention would, at least to me, be interesting. It is
not direct to think this way. When I'm using a Linux system, I think as
you said, but, in an installation, the reasoning is different: what is
being selected for a partition is, normally, what will be installed on
the partition. Or if I select `/' to be installed, say at hda1, `/'
won't be totally installed at hda1, as / is normally containing
everything, and that I could have chosen to put e.g. /var/in hdb2.

Another problem is the fact that one can choose to install same things
at two partitions. For example, I could choose to install /var/ at hda1,
and at hdb1. Is it normal? What would be the effect?

A last problem (still for me) is that the `Bootable flag' thing is not
clear: you can choose to put the bootable flag on, say, /tmp/ (if you
choose to put /tmp/ on a seperate partition), where I don't think that
it could have any interest (except making things messy).

Don't hesitate to comment this.

-- 
Merciadri Luca
See http://www.student.montefiore.ulg.ac.be/~merciadri/
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It is better to die on one's feet than live on one's knees.


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