On Tue, 26 Oct 2010, Frank Griffin wrote:
. . . . . . . . we could have a set of package-related ISOs, and one
or more documentation ISOs. If a non-network user wants extended help
and package descriptions in translated format, he obtains these ISOs.
If not, he doesn't. At the start of the install, the user gets a prompt
with checkboxes for each of the possible ISOs, and can indicate which
are available. For any that aren't, the install doesn't even try to use
what's on them. If the install detects enough available unused disk
space, then the first use of any ISO can copy some or all of the ISO to
hard disk for the duration of the install. Any prompt for an ISO has a
way for the user to say he really doesn't have that one, in which case
it is not prompted for again. All this should minimize the amount of
disk-swapping.
That answers the objections of those who don't want to have to download
many ISOs to do an install, and also addresses the needs of non-network
users (e.g. small schools) who want a full-featured set of install media
that can be reused repeatedly for friendly installs without network
access. It also minimizes disk-swapping, unless the system is really
tight on space, in which case the install is at least still possible,
albeit with some disk swapping (assuming the user wants to use multiple
ISOs).
As always, network users could opt to download dynamically anything they
didn't have ISO media for, with the same provision for caching, if space
allowed.
This is a nice solution, it seems to me. If some people want to go to a
little extra trouble to get that extra information, in a way that doesn't
inconvenience those who don't want it or need it, everybody wins. I hope
we can do something like this.
Dale Huckeby
