pcbsd-developer

Re: [Pcbsd-developer] PCBSD-Developer Digest, Vol 2, Issue 10

[Charles A. L. <lan...@gm...>]

On 7/26/06, pcb...@li...
<pcbsd-developer-> >System Installer - Prompt for settings before
install
> I'd like to have a choice in beginning of installation with radio buttons=
:
>
> "How you want to set up users and all other settings for this computer:"
> 1. Right now, right here.
> 2. After system is installed- in the end on installation. (partitions mus=
t be
> configured first anyway )
> 3. After system is installed and rebooted up successfully. (partitions mu=
st be
> configured first anyway)
> 4. Set "handsfree installation" config from networked server, USB or flop=
py
> disk (set up from XML file data: disk(s), user(s), language(s), keyboard(=
s)
> and auto-installed PBIs).

I think this is pointless. Whether the person types her information
before, during or after installation doesn't matter, she will have the
same effort. Now, joining all install steps together is important.

> >System Installer - Set Timezone for system
> Set multiple keyboards for KDE, multiple languages and timezone.

Multiple timezone? You can be only at one place at a time :) (unless
you have a Doppelg=E4nger http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Doppelganger )

> Xorg detects refresh rate automatically but manual intervention is good t=
o
> have.

Yes it does, but it's wrong most of the time (X monitor config is
always wrong in my case anyway).

> >System Installer - Detect Laptop / Desktop (For setting Numlock)
> Detection is not necessary, user can decide itself if this particular mac=
hine
> is desktop computer or notebook/laptop.

Laptop detection is not necessary but it's a big plus. One more thing
the user doesn't need to do to customize his computer.

> >System Installer - Use GRUB for bootloader?
> GRUB is too cryptic for casual user and FreeBSD bootloader is working jus=
t
> fine- never had any problems at all.

Grub can be set up automatically without any user intervention like
Ubuntu does beautifully. A number of users have been dissapointed by
the default FreeBSD bootloader since last year. In a nutshell, they
say it's counter-intuitive, not customizable, and when you have to
load PC-BSD that is on a 2nd hard-drive, instead of loading PC-BSD,
the bootloader reboots the computer when you hit the "Drive 1" boot
option.

> >System Installer - Display time elapsed for install and info screens.
> Display cpu, memory, disk usage like with "systat -vm" command.

No bloat please :P

> And now my additional requests:
> 1) Set multiple partitions for PC-BSD by default
> like: /boot/, /etc/, /usr/, /home/. "/boot/" and "/rescue/" partitions sh=
ould
> be read-only and mounted r/w only when needed.

There are advantages and drawbacks to this. I personnally don't want
that on my system, it's a terrible waste of HDD space, and it's
frustrating when you see you have 5GB left on /var and just 50MB free
on /usr

--=20
Charles A. Landemaine.

Re: [Pcbsd-developer] PCBSD-Developer Digest, Vol 2, Issue 10

[Andrei K. <an...@bs...>]

On Wednesday 26 July 2006 3:58 pm, Charles A. Landemaine wrote:
> On 7/26/06, pcb...@li...
> <pcbsd-developer-> >System Installer - Prompt for settings before
> install
>
> > I'd like to have a choice in beginning of installation with radio
> > buttons:
> >
> > "How you want to set up users and all other settings for this computer:"
> > 1. Right now, right here.
> > 2. After system is installed- in the end on installation. (partitions
> > must be configured first anyway )
> > 3. After system is installed and rebooted up successfully. (partitions
> > must be configured first anyway)
> > 4. Set "handsfree installation" config from networked server, USB or
> > floppy disk (set up from XML file data: disk(s), user(s), language(s),
> > keyboard(s) and auto-installed PBIs).
>
> I think this is pointless. Whether the person types her information
> before, during or after installation doesn't matter, she will have the
> same effort. Now, joining all install steps together is important.
>
OK. Leave choice nr 2 out. I have my reasons to change set up order sometim=
es-=20
for example I install system, but there is no user for couple of minutes an=
d=20
then he/she can type username and password later. For "handsfree install"=20
this is obvious. If I know that this particular computer is compatible with=
=20
PC-BSD then I can type all setup information in the beginning, but if=20
something goes wrong in the middle of installations and I have to type all=
=20
this info again...

> > >System Installer - Set Timezone for system
> >
> > Set multiple keyboards for KDE, multiple languages and timezone.
>
> Multiple timezone? You can be only at one place at a time :) (unless
> you have a Doppelg=E4nger http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Doppelganger )
>
Where did you read about multiple timezones? I said "... and timezone."

> > Xorg detects refresh rate automatically but manual intervention is good
> > to have.
>
> Yes it does, but it's wrong most of the time (X monitor config is
> always wrong in my case anyway).
>
Did you test my script? It works 100% of the times with my installations-=20
tested on 5 different computers so far. I haven't changed refresh rate this=
=20
year even once and Xorg detects maximum value automatically, unless you got=
=20
some ancient monitor that is crying for dumpster anyway...

> > >System Installer - Detect Laptop / Desktop (For setting Numlock)
> >
> > Detection is not necessary, user can decide itself if this particular
> > machine is desktop computer or notebook/laptop.
>
> Laptop detection is not necessary but it's a big plus. One more thing
> the user doesn't need to do to customize his computer.
>
We need just one radio button to activate numlock in control panel.

> > >System Installer - Use GRUB for bootloader?
> >
> > GRUB is too cryptic for casual user and FreeBSD bootloader is working
> > just fine- never had any problems at all.
>
> Grub can be set up automatically without any user intervention like
> Ubuntu does beautifully. A number of users have been dissapointed by
> the default FreeBSD bootloader since last year. In a nutshell, they
> say it's counter-intuitive, not customizable, and when you have to
> load PC-BSD that is on a 2nd hard-drive, instead of loading PC-BSD,
> the bootloader reboots the computer when you hit the "Drive 1" boot
> option.
>
I am very happy with FreeBSD boot loader and just hate GRUB bloat. FreeBSD=
=20
bootloader is VERY customizable if someone dare to look at scripts. And=20
booting up from second hard drive problem is PC-BSD installer bug not=20
bootloader one.

> > >System Installer - Display time elapsed for install and info screens.
> >
> > Display cpu, memory, disk usage like with "systat -vm" command.
>
> No bloat please :P
This is not a bloat, this is option to look at FreeBSD at first glance and =
see=20
how it works. I am always wondered how fast installer copying files to hard=
=20
drive and how much it use processor. This feature is must when something go=
es=20
awry.

>
> > And now my additional requests:
> > 1) Set multiple partitions for PC-BSD by default
> > like: /boot/, /etc/, /usr/, /home/. "/boot/" and "/rescue/" partitions
> > should be read-only and mounted r/w only when needed.
>
> There are advantages and drawbacks to this. I personnally don't want
> that on my system, it's a terrible waste of HDD space, and it's
> frustrating when you see you have 5GB left on /var and just 50MB free
> on /usr
Again, did you read what I said- there is no "/var" space in my post. "/boo=
t"=20
partition is 25+MB and common users don't have to touch it 99,9% of the tim=
es=20
and if something goes fubar it boots up in rescue mode at least.