[CLUE-Tech] The new debian installer

[Collins Richey]

On Mon, 19 Apr 2004 11:10:16 -0700
Randy Arabie <randy at arabie.org> wrote:

> Quoting Collins Richey <erichey2 at comcast.net>:
> 
> [SNIP]
> 
> > Any attempt to use standard Debian installers is apt (pun intended)
> > to lead to weeping and wailing and gnashing of teeth.
> 
> That's a rather harsh assessment, especially from a Gentoo user.  
> 
> I've used both Gentoo and Debain.  In both cases, the "installers"
> worked.
> 
> IMO, the installation of an OS more an issue of following
> instructions, rather than does one "installer" work better than
> another.  That said, I found the Gentoo process much more complicated
> and prone to user error[1].  A Debian installation, however, is a
> pretty straight forward process and (for me at least) no more
> difficult than a Red Hat, SUSE, or Windoze installation.  
> 
> [1]  Please note, I have not installed Gentoo recently.  My experience
> is dated.
>  At the time, there was no option to install binaries.  It was an
>  internet only
> install and everything had to be compiled from scratch.  Things are
> probably different, now.
> 

A few notes: 

1. My experience with Debian is probably just as dated as yours with
Gentoo. It's been over a year (maybe 2?), and I tried the
pure-ole-Debian installer (downloaded everything from the internet) with
no success (don't even remember what was wrong, but I was pissed at the
time.

2. Lat year, I had a successful install using Knoppix, but then found
that I didn't really like Debian well enough to get used to its
peculiarities (pure laziness on my part).

3. I've never had any problems with the Gentoo installs (install from
source or from binary).  Well, there was one wrinkle I had to solve when
I wanted to go directly to a 2.6 kernel, glibc latest, and nptl from
square 1, but that was not a standard install. I've been helping a
friend lately with Gentoo installs, and he has 3 of them under his belt
now - also with 2.6 kernels. The only problem currently is a
build-a-kernel for complete idiots procedure called 'genkernel' which
doesn't work worth a damn.

I'm just an old sourpuss when it comes to Debian; just ignore.

-- 
 /\/\
( CR ) Collins Richey
 \/\/