Hi again,
> > IMHO i18n should be done by _POST_install_ scripts...
> I agree with Eric here; this would discourage
> people who can't read english.
You misunderstood me. I think it is nice that the installer
can do the font and keyboard setting for you. But I think
it is not good that there are two places in the installer
where a language choice can be made which affects the text
displayed by the installer. I also think that it is not
good that the installer will often display NO text any more
as soon as you select a non-supported language or NLSPATH.
The latter can easily happen if you run setup after booting
your existing other DOS. The installer should use localize
with inlined default (English) messages - this will give
you a safe fallback and it makes the batches much easier
to read and maintain. The menu structure can be made a lot
simpler and there is no need to use PBATCH eye candy here.
Current:
Ask language, also sets keyboard and font
Ask drive, if > 1 possible
Xfdisk-or-bootdisk-or-reboot, if needed
Format-okay?, if needed
Install-or-Bootdisk-or-Quit-or-Readme-or-Reboot-or-Xfdisk-or-Format...
Xfdisk-or-Format-...: Similar to above
Install: Keyboard-Packageselection-English-Color-Quit-Install2
Packageselection: Select one of several default sets of packages
Keyboard: As "language" above
English: Related to "language" above
Color: Lets you switch to monochrome. Very obsolete.
Install2: Let user modify package selection, unzip, make config...
Simplified:
Ask country, but only set keyboard yet? Only set font and dialog
language if the installer can be kept simple enough nevertheless
Ask drive
[allow to exit to livecd, tell user about bootdisk and regional BAT]
The rest can be in one menu:
Offer readme?
Offer xfdisk, offer format, but only if needed
Otherwise offer "install style X" menu items
This means you have a very small menu: The COUNTRY menu,
then the DRIVE selection, then already the LAST menu
before the "bunch of CHECKBOXES" (textinst) which is:
R) Show Readme Text file
Q) Quit, just use DOS without installing it
B) Quit and reboot
P) Partition with Xfdisk (hidden if drive exists, reboot when done)
F) Format (hidden if drive already formatted, reboot when done)
0) Install, start with minimal package selection (fits on 1 diskette)
1) Install, start with basic package selection, "full DOS"
2) Install, many add-on packages (mention size of installed system)
3) Install, many packages plus downloads of others (mention risk)
Sorry, the lyrics are not good that way but you get the idea.
A very flat menu :-). Whenever you select one of the Install...
menu items, you enter the dialog where you can decide which
packages you want to install, but the default set of packages
is determined by which of the 4 Install... menu items you did
select. Some text above the main menu (RQBPF0123 one) should
explain that :-). The current country and drive setting should
also be shown above the main menu. If you insist, you could
even add "change drive" and "change country" menu items to
the main menu: Then the user can edit everything from a single
flat menu if he changes his mind after the first 2 questions.
Eric
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