Gentoo Archives: gentoo-desktop-research

From: Eric Sammer <esammer@g.o>
To: gentoo-desktop-research@l.g.o
Subject: Re: [gentoo-desktop-research] Gentoo installer project
Date: Mon, 26 Jan 2004 20:37:15
Message-Id: 40157A72.2010809@gentoo.org
In Reply to: Re: [gentoo-desktop-research] Gentoo installer project by foser
1 foser wrote:
2 > Besides the fact that the document disregards most of the discussion
3 > here on the D&R list so far concerning an installer.
4
5 I didn't think it did that and if it did, it was because we have to find
6 out if all projects involved can come to a reasonable method of
7 integration before we do anything else. It's just a document to help
8 explain why we would bring all three together. A general understanding
9 of each project is assumed and for those that don't know them, links are
10 provided as well as a short description.
11
12 > It -in my opinion-,
13 > like most other installer projects (except pen2), describes an installer
14 > that is a full replacement for the current installation process, which i
15 > think shoots way beyond the target audience of an installer.
16
17 As for replacing the current process, that is not the idea. The idea is
18 to open up Gentoo to people who do not like, do not wish to repeat, or
19 do not have time to repeat the current process and there are a number of
20 those people. Many of them were at LWE. Of course, that's not really the
21 point, either. The console is always going to be there as will the
22 documentation; no one is looking to replace that and mandate some new
23 method of installing machines. This is another option for those that
24 want it. For those people with 300+ machines, the current process
25 doesn't exactly scale and this kind of project was desirable. That's all.
26
27 With regard to the target audience, there are two, yes. There are people
28 who want to install desktop systems using a graphic installer and those
29 that want an automated, unattended system. The processes vary to only a
30 small degree and being able to work from both a common code base and
31 community will not hurt any of the parties involved. Neither will take
32 precedence or overshadow the other. Neither is more important than the
33 other. I don't think it's unreasonable to work together on a project
34 that is beneficial to both types of users. Gentoo, itself, takes both
35 types of users into account already and extending the same thought
36 process to a project such as an installer works.
37
38 I understand that some people don't want an installer and other don't
39 want an automated installer and others don't want a GUI installer, ad
40 infinitum. No one will be forced to use either and with the amount of
41 people involved, working on a combined system should not detract from
42 either. If everyone involved in the three projects remains involved (and
43 I hope they do) we'll have 6+ people coding. That's a large enough team
44 to work on a project that is modular enough to be worked on by that many
45 people when separated properly.
46
47 --
48 Eric Sammer
49 Gentoo Linux
50 http://www.gentoo.org

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