From owner-freebsd-questions@FreeBSD.ORG Mon Mar 8 08:55:14 2004 Return-Path: Delivered-To: freebsd-questions@freebsd.org Received: from mx1.FreeBSD.org (mx1.freebsd.org [216.136.204.125]) by hub.freebsd.org (Postfix) with ESMTP id BDA7016A4CE for ; Mon, 8 Mar 2004 08:55:14 -0800 (PST) Received: from clunix.cl.msu.edu (clunix.cl.msu.edu [35.9.2.10]) by mx1.FreeBSD.org (Postfix) with ESMTP id 40E2943D31 for ; Mon, 8 Mar 2004 08:55:14 -0800 (PST) (envelope-from jerrymc@clunix.cl.msu.edu) Received: (from jerrymc@localhost) by clunix.cl.msu.edu (8.11.7p1+Sun/8.11.7) id i28GtBv09906; Mon, 8 Mar 2004 11:55:11 -0500 (EST) From: Jerry McAllister Message-Id: <200403081655.i28GtBv09906@clunix.cl.msu.edu> To: Barbish3@adelphia.net Date: Mon, 8 Mar 2004 11:55:09 -0500 (EST) In-Reply-To: from "JJB" at Mar 08, 2004 11:04:55 AM X-Mailer: ELM [version 2.5 PL2] MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset=us-ascii Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit cc: Jerry McAllister cc: freebsd-questions@freebsd.org Subject: Re: Installation - More user friendly X-BeenThere: freebsd-questions@freebsd.org X-Mailman-Version: 2.1.1 Precedence: list List-Id: User questions List-Unsubscribe: , List-Archive: List-Post: List-Help: List-Subscribe: , X-List-Received-Date: Mon, 08 Mar 2004 16:55:14 -0000 > > Need more info about what you mean by write it up and submit it. > > Who or where do I submit it? > > By write it up you mean, write the short text for each sysinstall > option. Since FreeBSD is completely a volunteer project, everyone can contribute. Make the changes necessary and submit them as updates. There is information on the FreeBSD web page about contributing to the project. Check out: http://www.freebsd.org/doc/en_US.ISO8859-1/articles/contributing/index.html Don't feel limited by the what is needed list. But, be prepared to find people who disagre, often with good cause, with suggested changes. > How about reorganizing the sysinstall process. Like moving all the > non critical install options from the main process stream to the > post install category? > > I looked in the /stand directory and it contains binaries. Where is > the source for the sysinstall process, maybe I can just change it > at it's source? I haven't looked specifically for /stand/sysinstall , but pretty much everything is somewhere under /usr/src - of course, you will have had to opt to install source for it to be there. NOTE, It is not quite as simple as one program. The installation program uses major chunks of the OS. But, the messages it uses mostly come from just a few places. ////jerry > McAllister > Sent: Monday, March 08, 2004 10:11 AM > To: Barbish3@adelphia.net > Cc: Donald Turnbull; Bob Johnson; freebsd-questions@freebsd.org > Subject: Re: Installation - More user friendly > > > > > Well I do have specific comments about some aspects that needs to > > be improved? > > > > Right at the beginning of sysinstall should be warning about what > > to set PC bios options to, like plugNplay off, power management > off, > > boot time virus check disabled, PCI irq assignments set to auto, > OS > > type set to non-windows, ect. Give then option to cancel > sysinstall > > to set bios. > > This is a good idea. Go ahead and submit an update for it. > > > That should be followed with option for standard basic install > > using whole hard drive from cdrom, and no questions from that > point > > on. Behinds the scenes, fdisk deletes all hard drive partitions, > > disklable uses auto config, skip config is taken, distro of kernel > > source, no x-server, and no to all other questions, except set > root > > password and timezone. > > > Ehhh. Maybe as only one last option. > > > Then for the original way, for each option question, give info > about > > what this option enables and why one would enable it. > > I think all documentation should include more 'why' and 'why not' > discussion. So, sure. Go ahead and write it all up and submit > the update. Try to be systematic in your writing style though > and make sure it does not reflect personal prejudices about > particular > software and styles of system use, etc. The below paragraph is a > start, but is a little ragged and would need some work before > including > it in an update submission, for example. > > ////jerry > > > Example > > > > enable NFS server (yes / NO) NFS stands for (Network File > server) > > An advanced function where by this system you are installing will > > have an (Local Area Network) behind it and you want this system to > > share It's disk space with the other FBSD PC's on the lan. > Answering > > yes will start the NFS server on this system and all the FBSD pc > on > > the Lan must have the NFS client running to access and share the > NFS > > servers disk space. Will not work with MS/windows PC on the Lan. > Can > > be enabled later by rc.conf statements. Only answer yes if you > know > > for certain you are going to use this function in the immediate > > future. > > > > This kind of pointed detailed information embedded into each > > question installer is asked to respond to, provides the installer > > with the info necessary to make an informed chose right there in > > front of them where it belongs and not off in some un-accessible > > handbook. > > > > That is what I see is missing from the sysinstall process and why > it > > is so user unfriendly to all but experienced FBSD users. > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > -----Original Message----- > > From: owner-freebsd-questions@freebsd.org > > [mailto:owner-freebsd-questions@freebsd.org]On Behalf Of Bob > Johnson > > Sent: Sunday, March 07, 2004 8:22 PM > > To: freebsd-questions@freebsd.org > > Cc: Donald Turnbull > > Subject: Re: Installation - More user friendly > > > > On Sunday 07 March 2004 02:49 pm, Donald Turnbull > > wrote: > > > Does the folks of FreeBSD has any plans to make installation > more > > > user friendly for the newbie or the non-tech minded user for > > example > > > like Red Hat or Mandrake Linux installation? The point for > > technology > > > is to make people lives easier right? > > > > > > > It seems pretty friendly to me. It really helps to read the > > directions > > first, though. > > > > By "user friendly" do you mean "pretty", or do you have a specific > > complaint about some aspect that needs to be improved? Which > > SPECIFIC > > part of the install should be changed, and how should it be > changed? > > > > - Bob > > > > _______________________________________________ > > freebsd-questions@freebsd.org mailing list > > http://lists.freebsd.org/mailman/listinfo/freebsd-questions > > To unsubscribe, send any mail to > > "freebsd-questions-unsubscribe@freebsd.org" > > > > _______________________________________________ > > freebsd-questions@freebsd.org mailing list > > http://lists.freebsd.org/mailman/listinfo/freebsd-questions > > To unsubscribe, send any mail to > "freebsd-questions-unsubscribe@freebsd.org" > > > > _______________________________________________ > freebsd-questions@freebsd.org mailing list > http://lists.freebsd.org/mailman/listinfo/freebsd-questions > To unsubscribe, send any mail to > "freebsd-questions-unsubscribe@freebsd.org" > > _______________________________________________ > freebsd-questions@freebsd.org mailing list > http://lists.freebsd.org/mailman/listinfo/freebsd-questions > To unsubscribe, send any mail to "freebsd-questions-unsubscribe@freebsd.org" >