--On Sat, Nov 7, 1998 5:53 pm +0100 "Marcus Brinkmann" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote:
>> 3) They have some non-Hurd-based system, and a free partition (or disk >> space for a subdir install). I'm very interested in supporting this >> case, because the vast majority of people interested in the Hurd are >> in this category. The approach is as you state: install the ``base'', >> then we have case #1 again. > > I can't see why it is so important to support this case. As you don'�t know > what OS is installed, you have trouble supporting the user with this option > (is it Windows? Dos? which versions? Os/2? Linux? Some other OS?). > > Especially, if they already have a free partition, they can use the base > disks, too: Marcus - you have missed Gordon's point here. Gordon sees it as a very important goal (and I see his point) that someone can try hurd *without* a free partition. This requires, obviously, a special boot loader for each host OS along the lines of loadlin, with the ability to use a regular file as the root device. So, we simply distribute the base as an ext2fs image.... Gordon - the main point you missed was the need to have /var/lib/dpkg/* - which is dpkg's database - in your base tarball. The base.tar.gz that debian uses has (I believe, I haven't checked) the appropriate files in it to indicate which packages have been 'auto-installed' by the base tarball. Jules /----------------+-------------------------------+---------------------\ | Jelibean aka | [EMAIL PROTECTED] | 6 Evelyn Rd | | Jules aka | [EMAIL PROTECTED] | Richmond, Surrey | | Julian Bean | [EMAIL PROTECTED] | TW9 2TF *UK* | +----------------+-------------------------------+---------------------+ | War doesn't demonstrate who's right... just who's left. | | When privacy is outlawed... only the outlaws have privacy. | \----------------------------------------------------------------------/
