> On Jun 30, 2024, at 7:35 PM, Eric Auer via Freedos-user > <freedos-user@lists.sourceforge.net> wrote: > > > Hi Jim, > > *Installer* > >> the installer tries to do everything for you; the user should >> just be able to respond to prompts. > > I basically wonder about something like a third choice, next to > "auto-fdisk & auto-format" and "exit to DOS", which lets the user > run FDISK interactively and then returns to the installer.
It only auto partitions in normal mode when no partitions exist. If partitions exist and are not usable by DOS, you are sent to FDISK to modify them. If partitions exists and is usable by DOS, partitioning is skipped. Or, use advanced mode to not auto-partition a drive without partitions. The installer will not proceed beyond the partitioning phase of installation until there is a partition that will be usable by FreeDOS. The usable partition is only formatted if it is not readable and requires formatting. It does not reformat a drive that is readable by DOS. Wether in advanced mode or normal mode, neither partition or formatting occurs without a prompt to the user. > > For example Ubuntu used to have the choices, paraphrasing: "wipe > whole disk and install Ubuntu", "arrange everything for a dual > boot and preserve Windows" and "open interactive partitioner". > > Of course FreeDOS does NOT need to automatically do dual boot, > as it would sometimes have to access non-FAT content for that. > > A third option beyond "wipe" and "abort" would already be nice. The installer never wipes. It only partitions and formats drives when required. However, if a previous version of DOS is installed on the drive, it will prompt to backup those files along with any of the conflicting system files and directories. > >> If you want to do things manually, you can always exit the installer >> and run FDISK. > > Yet how do I re-enter it to continue where I have exited it then? You don’t. After restarting the installer, it will usually prompt you for your language and greet you with the “welcome to the installer” screen. It will then skip the partitioning and formatting steps (if completed) automatically. > >> To install non-destructively (for example, if you >> already did FDISK + FORMAT + SYS, and don't want the installer >> to run SYS again) you can run this: > >> SETUP ADV > >> ...and that will give you the option to control the installation... > > So it does not automatically detect which steps are not necessary, > if I understand that correctly? If the user picks "exit to DOS" in > the current installer to manually run FDISK and FORMAT as needed, > and/or there already is a partition and/or FAT filesystem on the > disk, it would be convenient to know that when you boot the install > medium again, the installer would detect which steps have already > been handled (by the user, a previous OS install or a previous run > of the installer aborted half-way) and automatically skip those, > or offer to skip them to preserve existing data. See above. > > If the installer already has that ability, it could be advertised > more :-) You mean like the ability to switch to and from advanced mode without exiting the installer? > I only paused a few moments while watching the VCF stream. > > *VM image* > >>> image for qemu. We should offer a pre-installed disk image. > >> Which format? IMG? QCOW? QCOW2? VMDK? DMG? VDI? VHDX? > > If you ask me: IMG, because multiple VM brands support it. > >> I can do the "Plain DOS, plus sources" install on a 120MB image >> (zipped) and put that on Ibiblio too. > > That could be a nice addition :-) > > *Downloads* > >>> Note that there is no obvious link from > >>> https://freedos.org/download/ to the used subdirectory > >>> https://www.ibiblio.org/pub/micro/pc-stuff/freedos/files/distributions/1.3/official/ > >> Do you mean the links to download the LiveCD, BonusCD, FullUSB, >> LiteUSB, LegacyCD, and Floppy Edition? Click the links on that page to >> download them. > > What I would have liked would be two things: > > 1. Links to the specific "official" and "test" directories, > instead of the global "files" directory and > > 2. Something which tells you how large your download will > be, so people do not just blindly press all download buttons > but make an informed choice on how much they want to download. > Optionally, also mention the build date next to the version? > > For example, https://ubuntu.com/download/desktop has a button > saying "Download 24.04 LTS" with the text "6GB" right next to > it. So if I do not have a double-sided empty DVD or a large > enough USB stick to create the install medium, I am able to > immediately move on and search for smaller alternatives. Alas, > Ubuntu fails to specify file sizes in their list of downloads > on https://ubuntu.com/download/alternative-downloads as well. > > Only after selecting a mirror and a version, you will see them: > https://mirror.math.princeton.edu/pub/ubuntu-iso/24.04/ which > are: 2.6 GB live server, 5.7 GB desktop and 81 MB netboot file. > > So you can decide whether server is okay or whether you really > have to fetch a large enough empty DVD or USB before installing. > Note that, alas, nothing at all is offered any more for 32-bit PC. > > In short, Ubuntu IMMEDIATELY tells you HOW BIG their 1 primary > download will be. It would be even better if FreeDOS were tp > mention the download sizes for ALL SEVEN direct download links > on https://freedos.org/download/ as well as providing an easy > deep link to the 1.3/official/ and rolling test/ directories. > > *Kernel* > > Regarding the "outdated kernel" issue, it surprises me that > http://kernel.fdos.org/ only has (2021-05-13?) kernel 2043 ZIPs > at the moment, while https://github.com/FDOS/kernel/tree/master > says there SHOULD also be downloads for newer compiles there. > At least a 2023-12-02 build 2044 ZIP. Even better a 2045 one, > as the history file suggests that we have already reached 2045: > > https://github.com/FDOS/kernel/blob/master/docs/history.txt > > Note that the current main.c says copyright 1995-2023, while > version.h somehow still says REVISION_SEQ 43 for some reason? > > Either way, given that we HAVE a 386 enhanced mode compatible > kernel which NEEDS testing, it would be really useful if one > of the kernel people were to PACKAGE it, so Jerome can INCLUDE > it in our monthly rolling release distro, so it GETS tested :-) > > Regards, Eric > > PS: Good to know that SLOWDOWN (and FDAPM) and TP7P5FIX are > in there. Had overlooked that, as it has no "200" in it ;-) > > PPS: I do not suggest specific UEFI-BIOS-CSM projects. Anybody? > > > > > > _______________________________________________ > Freedos-user mailing list > Freedos-user@lists.sourceforge.net > https://lists.sourceforge.net/lists/listinfo/freedos-user _______________________________________________ Freedos-user mailing list Freedos-user@lists.sourceforge.net https://lists.sourceforge.net/lists/listinfo/freedos-user
