On Thu, Sep 10, 2015 at 5:10 PM, Eric Auer <e.a...@jpberlin.de> wrote: > So we already have at least five use cases :-) > > * install from floppy XCOPY style to pre-386 computers, allowing > the user to later add packages in a more manual way via FDPKG > > * install from CD / DVD / USB to completely empty (virtual) PC, > making sure that there really is no danger to damage other OS > > * install to ramdisk for a live CD session, possibly offering a > choice between small and large selections of DOS packages > > * install to existing formatted FAT C: partition, minimizing any > damage to already existing contents of C: - in particular, ask > the user whether SYS should overwrite the boot sector or if it > should only provide a boot sector FILE that the (expert) user > can add to their existing boot manager. Maybe also let users > decide if they want autoexec / config to be replaced (with a > non-destructive backup!) or if they want to use fdconfig.sys > and fdauto to keep FreeDOS and ... DOS / Win config separate. > > * install in a destructive way by partitioning and formatting if > the user REALLY knows that this is the right thing to do... Do > not try to decide about those things automatically! Not even > Ubuntu (which tries to have installation for dummies) does it. > As far as I remember, Ubuntu offers "install to free space" if > the user has provided free space (e.g. really empty harddisk, > or by shrinking Windows from within Windows manually before), > "custom install" (with a nice gparted style partition resizer > and editor) and "install instead of whatever was there before, > destroying existing data" (but clearly warning about risks). >
To simplify this even further: * If you are pre-'386, install from floppies. That will probably have a different install process. Some kind of XCOPY is likely. * If you are '386 or later, assume installing from a CD (or equivalent .. such as USB fob drive, or CD image if on a virtual machine). Give the option to install just the Base software, or install everything. Then install it. I feel it is important for the new install to be very simple. That doesn't mean "dumb" but that does mean "not complex." Adding a bunch of options at this point to try to cover 100% of the edge cases is overkill and we'll never get there. The install process should include a message RIGHT AWAY WHEN IT'S BOOTED that this is FreeDOS, and FreeDOS is an operating system, and installing FreeDOS on your computer may overwrite things that are already on it (such as a previous Windows or Linux installation.) Give the user the option to abort the install process at that moment. If you continue, we can assume you want to install FreeDOS. (See my other email for the simple 6-steps to install.) In reality, I believe many modern users are installing FreeDOS on some kind of virtual machine. Probably so they can play games or run some legacy software. They are likely only installing on actual hardware if they are hobbyists, or embedded developers. That takes care of the "install to existing formatted FAT C: partition, minimizing any damage to already existing contents of C:" and the "install in a destructive way .. if the user REALLY knows that this is the right thing to do." Jim ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ _______________________________________________ Freedos-devel mailing list Freedos-devel@lists.sourceforge.net https://lists.sourceforge.net/lists/listinfo/freedos-devel
