hi preface: I am a debian developer; I was needing an extra X box (=small PC running X for connecting to another host), and I had an old pentium with a 200Mb hard disk spare
I have a small testing mirror here; so I downloaded the latest boot disks for woody, and tried to install using just the rescue and root disk, and my mirror ...and here is the captain's log ... -------- SHORT VERSION --boot disks yes: it really does install from the network using just two floppies; but, the mirror must contain a Release file, and my mirror does not (this is bug #100623 for apt-move) so I have used an official mirror. BTW I have created a CD using debian-cd and the CD does not contain the file Release either... I wonder if I could use it to install a Debian system from scratch! then I reboot into my new system and go on with: --base config when I chose 'edit the sources list'... (I wanted to add my personal small debian mirror) I found myself in 'vi' . THIS IS EVIL. why cant I use 'nano'? So here is a nice suggestion: first time the user needs to edit something, the menu configuration should ask 'what do you want to use as a simple editor for text files? vi (for long time hackers)? nano(for normal people)?' and then remember the answer (maybe setting a dpkg-alternative) I also found I could not install kernel-image-2.4.14-586 since it needs initrd which needs cpio which conflicts (?!?!) with tar I am now writing this e-mail using my new X box; there is another small glitch: for some strange reason, the backspace key is acting as a delete key; but I hope I will fix it soon --------LONG VERSION ----- me and dbootstrap, that is, me using the boot disks I write the rescue and root disks from images-1.44/compact, and I test them with 'dd if=/dev/fd0 | cmp - file' I succesfully boot the kernel (the penguin logo is cool but I would suggest not to use it: the vga framebuffer mode has problems on some PCs!) I cannot load the root disk: I reformat it and rewrite it (I hate floppies); I think that 'floppy disks are not reliable' should be written in size 48 in the documentation. I reboot the recue disk this time the root disk is ok I initialize the swap on /dev/hda1 and the root on /dev/hda2 I initialize the network using dhcp, and it works (COOOL!) I load the drivers.tgz file using 'network' and my http mirror (COOOOL!) dbootstrap suggests that I should maybe configure my drivers. For me this is, was, and ever will be a pain in the a** of the Debian installing. I never truly understood what I should do at this point. I know that my ethernet card is a "3Com 3c590" and the compact linux kernel has autodetected it... so, do I need to do anything? will it be autodetected again at reboot? heaven knows. I step forward I install the base system: I choose 'network': I see a message asking to testers to install 'testing': the next screen asks for the release to install (actually this other screen suggests to use 'stable' but then stable is not even in the list :-) so) I indeed choose 'testing' I enter the right URL to my mirror my mirror does not contain the 'Release' file; this is bug #100623 for apt-move; so I try to download it; but no it does not work this way, the 'Release' file contains md5sums of the Packages files. So I point dbootstrap to an official mirror the base package is correctly installed, so I install lilo and reboot --- me and the base configuration ok the base configuration is a breeze: local time, shadow passwords, I know all of them then it asks me the Debian mirror to use: I choose the nearest one by using the menus (COOL!) then I want to add my personal small debian mirror, (for speed sake: it sits right here) so I choose 'edit the sources list'... and I find myself in 'vi' . THIS IS EVIL. I hate vi and have big problems using it. Why is vi the default at this step? why cant I use 'nano' or 'aee'? So here is a nice suggestion: first time the user needs to edit something, the menu configuration should ask 'what do you want to use as a simple editor for text files? vi (for long time hackers)? nano(for normal people)?' and then remember the answer (maybe setting a dpkg-alternative) then I run tasksel but there is no task for 'very simple X server' so I run dselect; for some reasons, the default is to install also the whole gcc and gcc3-0 family, so I tell to dinstall 'forget it' (yes, I do talk to programs sometime) I install a few programs; I wonder if gpm may have a better interface for configuring it (it is not very user friendly): maybe using mdetect? I find I cannot install kernel-image-2.4.14-586 since it needs initrd which needs cpio which conflicts (?!?!) with tar I install the xserver-xfree86 but it does not support my S3 card I install xserver-s3 (thanks B.R. for having that in testing) some usual problems with resolutions and mouse I am now writing this e-mail using my new X box; for some strange reason, the backspace key is acting as a delete key, but I hope I will fix it soon bye a. -- A Mennucc "È un mondo difficile. Che vita intensa!" (Renato Carotone) -- To UNSUBSCRIBE, email to [EMAIL PROTECTED] with a subject of "unsubscribe". Trouble? Contact [EMAIL PROTECTED]
