My observations on 9.2rc1 are a tad disappointing...
1a. USB mouse and IBM trackpoint worked simultaneously in 9.1 -- after
installing 9.2, even after I told it where to find 9.1 for lilo, the USB
mouse no longer works in my 9.1... Mouse on existing install related to
newly installed lilo..?? Yup... Tried "service usb start" which gave:
Initializing USB controller (usb-uhci): modprobe: Can't open dependencies
file /lib/modules/2.4.22-1mdk/modules.dep (No such file or directory)
[FAILED]
Initializing USB controller (ehci-hcd): modprobe: Can't open dependencies
file /lib/modules/2.4.22-1mdk/modules.dep (No such file or directory)
[FAILED]
Initializing USB controller (usb-ohci): modprobe: Can't open dependencies
file /lib/modules/2.4.22-1mdk/modules.dep (No such file or directory)
[FAILED]
Loading USB printer modprobe: Can't open dependencies file
/lib/modules/2.4.22-1mdk/modules.dep (No such file or directory)
[FAILED]
Huh??!!! WTF! That's not the kernel version in my 9.1...
# uname -a
Linux gypsy.pfortin.com 2.4.22-1mdk #1 Mon Aug 25 11:19:10 EDT 2003 i686
unknown unknown GNU/Linux
# ll /lib/modules
total 1
drwxr-xr-x 4 root root 1024 Jun 4 11:52 2.4.21-0.13mdk/
Even after telling 9.2rc1 installer where 9.1 is, I'm writing this (as we
travel along I-40) on a crippled 9.2 kernel even though it *should* be the
original 9.1...
image=/boot/vmlinuz <====== (1)
label="linux9.1"
root=/dev/hda1
initrd=/boot/initrd-2.4.22-1mdk.img <===========!!!! (2)
read-only
(1) Install was on hda9, so shouldn't this read
[/mnt]/91/boot/vmlinuz...???
(2) Should also read: [/mnt]/91/boot/initrd-2.4.21-0.13mdk.img
where /91 is the name I gave the 9.1 partition during 9.2 install...
This is the classic problem of failing to corectly tell lilo where stuff
really is... See below for more...
1b. X not configured to see both mice:
9.1 config:
Section "InputDevice"
Identifier "Mouse1"
Driver "mouse"
Option "Protocol" "IMPS/2"
Option "Device" "/dev/usbmouse"
Option "ZAxisMapping" "4 5"
EndSection
Section "InputDevice"
Identifier "Mouse2"
Driver "mouse"
Option "Protocol" "PS/2"
Option "Device" "/dev/psaux"
Option "Emulate3Buttons"
Option "Emulate3Timeout" "50"
EndSection
9.2 config:
Section "InputDevice"
Identifier "Mouse1"
Driver "mouse"
Option "Protocol" "IMPS/2"
Option "Device" "/dev/usbmouse"
Option "ZAxisMapping" "4 5"
EndSection
End result: 9.1 now only uses trackpoint (missing kernel libs); 9.2 only
uses usb mouse (missing X config)... :^P
2. Compared to 9.2beta1, 9.2rc1 at least asks for alt OS locations; but
even after telling it, I still had to try to remember the other bootable
modes (failsafe, etc) -- sure would be nice if once told which partition
the other OS is/are on, the installer could just do the right thing and
use that partition's ./etc/lilo.conf to properly fill in the blanks...
3. While KDE still reports version 3.1, it is gawd-awful slow to start.
Install itself:
1. Using hd.img, got tons of install errors while always in the
"Installing package xpp" step... smells like cd[23] images were not
used... Again, this is the non-glitzy stuff that makes or breaks a
review... why can't the hd.img install all I've asked for, especially
after spending MANY minutes going through all the packages, and never
being told that I was wasting my time, to then just have the install
miserably fall short...???
* getFile libmm1-1.3.0-3mdk.i586.rpm:Installation CD 2 (x86)
* refusing medium 2
Then lots of this type of stuff:
* rpm transactions start
* getFile apache-modules-1.3.27-11mdk.i586.rpm:Installation CD 2 (x86)
* refusing medium 2 <========= (3)(4)
* retrying installing package apache-modules-1.3.27-11mdk.i586 alone in a
transaction
* opened rpmdb for writing in /mnt
* opened rpm database for retry transaction of 1 package only
* check failed : mm = 1.3.0 is needed by apache-modules-1.3.27-11mdk
libmm.so.1 is needed by apache-modules-1.3.27-11mdk
(3) So if CD2 is refused, it's a tad irritating for the human to have to
click [OK] for each package on the refused medium...
(4) Ditto for CD3...
2. This install locked up while trying to finish/reboot -- complained it
could not umount partitions (nothing in logs); but the restart was clean
notwithstanding the above.
IMO, 9.2rc1 installer is still not past be^H^Halpha quality.
********************** More on lilo...
To understand what is wrong with the installer's view of lilo.conf, here
is my hand-crafted lilo.conf on the 9.1 side (/dev/hda1) -- the 9.2
version needs to take the opposing view of /dev/hda9 with hda1 as the
"foreign" OS using /91 as the mount point...
boot=/dev/hda
map=/boot/map
install=menu
vga=normal
default="linux"
keytable=/boot/us.klt
prompt
nowarn
timeout=50
message=/boot/message
menu-scheme=wb:bw:wb:bw
image=/boot/vmlinuz
label="linux"
root=/dev/hda1
initrd=/boot/initrd.img
append="devfs=mount acpi=off prof=Home"
read-only
image=/boot/vmlinuz
label="linux-acpi"
root=/dev/hda1
initrd=/boot/initrd.img
append="devfs=mount acpi=on prof=Home"
read-only
image=/boot/vmlinuz
label="failsafe"
root=/dev/hda1
initrd=/boot/initrd.img
append="failsafe devfs=nomount acpi=off"
read-only
other=/dev/fd0
label="floppy"
unsafe
image=/boot/vmlinuz
label="office"
root=/dev/hda1
initrd=/boot/initrd.img
append="devfs=mount acpi=off prof=Office"
read-only
# 9.2
image=/92/boot/vmlinuz
label="linux9.2"
root=/dev/hda9
initrd=/92/boot/initrd.img
append="devfs=mount acpi=off resume=/dev/hda7"
read-only
image=/92/boot/vmlinuz
label="failsafe9.2"
root=/dev/hda9
initrd=/92/boot/initrd.img
append="failsafe devfs=nomount acpi=off resume=/dev/hda7"
read-only
In other words, there is no way to correctly build lilo using a common
lilo.conf file; the "view" depends on which partition you're starting
from...
Of course, not enough of 9.2 was installed to really give it a serious
look...
On Wed, 3 Sep 2003 22:01:27 -0500 "David Rankin"
<[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote:
> Bottom line, forget focusing on just getting the next number release
> out
> to stay ahead in the numbers game, get the next release out right. I've
> said it before and I'll say it again, if 9.2 is as clean and reliable as
> 7.2 was/is, the mdk folks will have hit a home run.
Wholeheartedly agree -- however, for me, rc1 is not even making it to
_first base_ so far, which I define as a full (as-requested), and correct
*installation* without doing damage to existing installations. Second
base is a proper bootup, with all the correct settings. Third base, is
everything just working smooth as silk. The home run is simply all of the
above *together* -- you can't score a home run if you miss any base.
<soap>
The "first impression" is not what 9.2 will look like when running; it's
the *installation* process... All of the issues above are one-time
problems for the installer; but they are those that create that
all-important "first impression" -- why bother with 9.2 if the
_installation_ looks shoddy...?
</soap>
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