On 02-Jan-00, 11:55 (CST), Robert Woodcock <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: > On Sun, Jan 02, 2000 at 01:19:11PM +1000, Anthony Towns wrote: > > First, how do the various tasks packages affect this? Do they include > > all of standard plus some other stuff, or would, eg, a `router' task > > completely obviate the "But I don't want it on my router" complaints? > [*snip*] > > And if this is the case, what relevance does standard have at all? > > [*snip*] > When dselect encounters a new package (the first time it runs everything is > new), if it is of priority 'standard' or higher, it is automatically > selected for installation. > > The task packages work by explicitly selecting everything to be installed, > once this is done the packages aren't 'new' to dselect anymore.
Ok, so given the presence of a "router" (or whatever) task package, the presence of emacs et. al. in standard makes no difference. It either will or won't be included, depending on the task definition. If a user bypasses the task selection screen, they get what's in standard (by default), and go into dselect to pick and choose, which is exactly what they want. > It also affects upgrades. Say a new package was introduced into woody. > This package did not exist in potato. For whatever reason, it is a package > worthy of inclusion into Standard. > > A dselect user upgrading from potato to woody would find this new package > automatically selected for them. And that's *why* it was placed in standard. Notice that the dselect user has the opportunity to de-select the package before installing. > It's also the installation time. One of the motives for bypassing the task > selection screen is to save time. TeX and Emacs are 28203KB of archive data, > which may be transferred across anything ranging from a U2W SCSI bus (2 > seconds) to a POTS modem (2 hours). TeX and Emacs both have time-intensive > postinsts as well (tetex-base has to run initex, emacs has some LISP byte- > compilation to do.) On the one hand, this is a legitimate concern. On the other, POTS modem users (like I used to be, admittedly) are already used to being fairly careful about going through both the new packages and upgraded packages list before hitting install. (When I lived on a 14.4 modem, most packages liven on "hold".) > > All I can see here is a closed-minded `I don't want LaTeX or Emacs, and > > I don't even want to have to think about it to avoid them'. :-/ > > Because this isn't an issue of right or wrong, only what is preferred for a > majority, there is no such thing as a logical response to this sentence. Ok, well I prefer that Emacs, at least, remain in standard. I believe it is a common enough package that most users will want to at least look at it, and if they don't like it, it's trivial to remove. TeX I feel less strongly about. I don't think I'm in favor of this proposal, as written. Steve -- Steve Greenland <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> (Please do not CC me on mail sent to this list; I subscribe to and read every list I post to.)
