Date: Mon, 25 Dec 1995 17:54:42 -0600 (CST) From: John Goerzen <jgoerzen@complete.org> To: doc@freebsd.org Subject: Error(s) in the handbook Message-ID: <199512252354.RAA00209@complete.org>
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If this is a mailing list (I'm not sure), please e-mail your reply directly to me because I am not on the list. In section 5.3.10 of the handbook, Pseudo-devices, it is stated: "pseudo-device gzip . . . This is really only useful when you need to compress FreeBSD programs to fit on a boot floppy. You will probably never need to compress programs on your hard drive in this fashion, so you'll probably want to comment out this line." Well, that is, IMHO, bad advice. The file /stand/sysinstall is one of those gzip'd executables. It took me quite a few hours to find out why that program wouldn't run after I had commented out that line in the kernel configuration. My advice would be to leave it in (there may be other utilities like this as well -- I'm not sure) or if it is taken out, warn the people of this problem. I'd also reccommend putting an appropriate comment in the GENERIC and LINT kernel configs (though that may be somebody else's job). An alternative to having to leave this in would be to un-gzip all programs before installing them on the hard disk (although this too may be somebody else's job) or to make the system smart enough to tell users that they're trying to run a gzip'd program. Thanks for your time. John -- John Goerzen, programmer and owner | MICRO$oft only exists because some Communications Centre & Complete BBS | people are too dumb to get something E-mail jgoerzen@complete.org | better, such as FreeBSD.
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