On Thu, May 28, 2009 at 7:48 AM, Rich Reynolds <rich at redstar-assoc.com> wrote: > Glenn Lagasse wrote: >> >> * Dave Miner (dminer at opensolaris.org) wrote: >>> >>> Personally, I don't get the enthusiasm that's been expressed for >>> ?supporting this particular installation mode. ?I tend to believe that ?it's >>> due to habit of long-time Solaris users who haven't had network ?package >>> repo's; it was less inconvenient to have a pile of extra, mostly ?useless >>> bits lying around and adding overhead to upgrades than to have ?to hunt up a >>> DVD in the event that some of those bits were needed later ?on. ?I'd never >>> want to do this with any Linux distro, either (and ?didn't, when I was using >>> them a lot). >> >> That echoes my sentiments precisely (even the part about not doing this >> on any Linux distro) for whatever it's worth. >> >> Cheers, >> > There is a large segment of the present SunOS user community for whom > network package repo's are doable, but not with out a GREAT deal of work and > GREATER gnashing of teeth... ? they have no connection to > pkg.opensolaris.org or any other .org/.com/... domain. their standard > requirement is that all the stuff show up on media that can be trusted to > have come from the vendor. Now you know the population of which I speak, and > the massive headaches they will have deploying... > > just a thought from an under represented user segment... > > rich > > > BTW I have been install the whole wad since 3.2...
In large 1000+ multiuser organizations like Universities it is a common practice to install everything. Because everyone needs something different. Even if just for curiosity. Or is Solaris targetting only handheld users in the future? If so, then it would be a good idea to bring down minimum memory requirements below the 1.5GB mark. Or at least to assign more swap by default, if a low-mem system is detected. I see a contradiction here: On one side (Sun's own bandwdith, customer's installed "wad" sleeping on hdd) every importance is directed in minimization and optimization. On the other hand memory and cpu usage looks horrendously wasteful. But one should keep the balance, imo: Never has the price per GB (both on hdd, as well as net bandwidth) been remotely as cheap, as today. On the other side of the coin: What is more expensive to an organization: A) Developing an algorithm in months that allows them to find out which exact set of packages they need (then install that selection with IPS, which nicely resolves the further dependencies). B) Installing [redistributable] from the then existing DVD and then move forward with what they should primarily be interested in: Using that software. Soon and quickly getting to that point! Without having to learn any new concepts that require reading more than 1 page during installation. Last year I applied for a job as UNIX admin at math.tu-berlin.de . During the interview it came out that they were going to switch the remaining few Solaris boxes to Linux FC. I started a small fight with that clue-less "boss". And neither did I get the job, nor could I convince that lady to move back to Solaris. She is probably still in the mis-belief, that Solaris is "complicated, expensive and not modern", shrug. What ever: That's the reality. Reality can be ignored. Or faced. Do you think it would increase chances to convince folks like her that switching to OpenSolaris saves costs and complexity, if you then tell her "Well, first ... this is pkg, please read the manuals first ... "? The Package-Manager GUI is a good answer, I agree. But not for everybody out there. Anyway not during initial-installation time. Network repos have their strength in keeping systems up-to-date while offering high un-interrupted RAS (together with goodies like SMF, fmstat, beadm, snapshots/rollbacks and time-slider and so on). But for initial installations (not follow-up-maintenance upgrades) off-DVD installs are * fastest * easiest * your system does not necessarily be online (reliably online!) over the whole period of installation. In India or China maybe you can go to a friend, download the DVD and take it home. How do you accomplish this with a Repo? Those are the markets of the future. Can anybody afford to ignore them? Only a few thoughts from the user-point of view ... :) Martin
