On Thursday 01 November 2007, Joey Hess wrote: > If you're not on broadband and you choose to use a mirror, it takes > half an hour or more just to download the Packages file. Apt can > estimate this reaonably well so you shouldn't even need to wait, you can > just see in the progress bar estimate that the network is slow[1] > This is a good indication that you made the wrong choice -- installing > any significant tasks will take much longer -- and all that's really > needed then is a Cancel button so you can move on to using a CD instead.
OK. This is starting to make sense.
Say we extend apt-mirror-setup so that it can tell how fast the connection
is (which is probably going to require some serious hacking).
We could then do the following.
A) If CD-based install and base-installable
=> ask user if he wants to use a mirror
- if Yes
- select mirror
- get packages file (with cancel option!?); determine speed
- if speed ~= "fast broadband" or "local network"
* use mirror, proceed to pkgsel
- if speed ~= "slow broadband" and CD/DVD is first in set
* offer to scan additional CD/DVDs (possibly not in case of DVD)
- if speed ~< "broadband"
* offer to select different mirror (go back to 'select mirror')
* advice against using the mirror during installation
(add commented out in sources.list?)
* if CD/DVD is first in set => offer to scan additional CD/DVDs
- if No
* if CD/DVD is first in set => offer to scan additional CD/DVDs
B) If not a CD-based install or not base-installable and speed ~< broadband,
we could warn against selecting large tasks.
I would happily support a scheme like that.
Why don't we do the following?
As both Otavio, Christian and others seem to mostly agree with me, I commit
and upload the changes as I have them now. I really don't think the current
implementation can be seen as a "regression" in support for what Joey
considers the "normal" case and it adds a feature that is obviously wanted.
We can then get some experience and feedback with Beta1.
If anybody wants to implement something like described above, or propose a
different alternative, it can be discussed on the list. After all, we still
have almost a year to Lenny to improve the "user experience".
Cheers,
FJP
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