[Mageia-discuss] Suggestions

Dale Huckeby spock at evansville.net
Tue Oct 26 16:15:24 CEST 2010


On Tue, 26 Oct 2010, Frank Griffin wrote:

> . . . . . . . . we could have a set of package-related ISOs, and one
> or more documentation ISOs.  If a non-network user wants extended help
> and package descriptions in translated format, he obtains these ISOs.
> If not, he doesn't.  At the start of the install, the user gets a prompt
> with checkboxes for each of the possible ISOs, and can indicate which
> are available.  For any that aren't, the install doesn't even try to use
> what's on them.  If the install detects enough available unused disk
> space, then the first use of any ISO can copy some or all of the ISO to
> hard disk for the duration of the install.  Any prompt for an ISO has a
> way for the user to say he really doesn't have that one, in which case
> it is not prompted for again.  All this should minimize the amount of
> disk-swapping.
>
> That answers the objections of those who don't want to have to download
> many ISOs to do an install, and also addresses the needs of non-network
> users (e.g. small schools) who want a full-featured set of install media
> that can be reused repeatedly for friendly installs without network
> access.  It also minimizes disk-swapping, unless the system is really
> tight on space, in which case the install is at least still possible,
> albeit with some disk swapping (assuming the user wants to use multiple
> ISOs).
>
> As always, network users could opt to download dynamically anything they
> didn't have ISO media for, with the same provision for caching, if space
> allowed.

This is a nice solution, it seems to me. If some people want to go to a
little extra trouble to get that extra information, in a way that doesn't
inconvenience those who don't want it or need it, everybody wins. I hope
we can do something like this.

Dale Huckeby


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