[plug] Difficulty installing Debian ... or not

[Peter Wright]

On Fri, Aug 20, 1999 at 04:36:54PM +0800, Bradley Browne wrote:
> 
> I got to thinking about the "Debian is hard to install issue" and so I
> challenged myself to install it from floppies ... today ... at work.  In
> my _spare_ time of course :-P

Oh, of _course_ :-].

> So :
> 
> I am doing this from floppies and it installed the base system without
> trouble.

This bit is best done with decent quality floppies, I've found :).

> I configured my network in installation and ...
> Now I am ftp'ing the rest of a server_std profile from a server
> I chose that because it is the smallest profile with all the network
> stuff.
> I have not done this before (ftp install) so I am interested to see how
> it goes.

So how did it go?

The Debian installs I _have_ done, I did from a CD, which I had no problems
with (even though the last two involving physically removing a hard disk
from one machine and transplanting it in the machine with a CD drive :).
I'm interested to hear how smooth the network install is.

> The more you install an OS ( Any OS ) the easier it gets.  I think we
> can take that as a given.

Oh yeah.

> I have installed RedHat *heaps* of times (can do with eyes shut) and
> Slackware a few times.  I want to understand the Debian install better so
> that it can do more for me.  Currently it wants to do a *lot* but I can't
> let it ( I am not sure what the questions I am answering are about ).

Debian GNU/Linux Configuration Process
--------------------------------------

Please answer these few simple questions:

1. Would you like the / partition to go on /dev/hda1 (Y/n)? y

Okay.

2. Do you have any SCSI adapters (y/N)? n

Good, that makes life easier.

3. Is this machine in an open case with loose screws and a dodgy
   power supply and signs of internal fiddling (Y/n)? y

Thought so. Put the cover back on, you pervert.

4. Do you understand why this operating system should be called GNU/Linux,
   not just Linux (y/N)? y

Very well, I guess I can skip the lecture then. I'll be watching to see if
you install any of the non-free section though.

5. What is your favourite colour (blue/NO,PINK)? blue

Ooooh, lucky.

6. How can Kant claim that appearance, in contradistinction to
the mere representations of apprehension, can be represented as an
object distinct from them only if it stands under a rule which
distinguishes it from every other apprehension and necessitates some one
particular mode of connection to the manifold? bugger off

As you wish...

[ machine reset ]

> When I install RedHat I install *everything* on the disc.

Tsk tsk. Most of us prefer to fill up our disks with sensible stuff like
porn and MP3s.... :)

> I think that Debian could be the easiest to maintain, and if it asked
> less questions at install time, the easiest to install ( for an
> inexperienced person, from a psycholgical standpoint ).

It'll be interesting to see how the new Corel Linux and the Storm(?) linux
distributions, both based on Debian, turn out as far as ease of
installation and configuration.

I'm glad to see some new distributions coming out that are based on Debian,
as there are already far too many out there that are either
strongly/loosely based on Redhat and using it's packaging system.

Would also be good if the Corel/Storm install improvements are worthy of
being merged back into the main Debian distribution.

> My thoughts,

Likewise.

> Brad

Pete.
-- 
http://cygnus.uwa.edu.au/~pete/

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