On Tuesday 31 May 2005 16:54, Steve Kratz wrote: [re "DVD drive" which won't read a dual layer DVD]
The hardware isn't faulty - Distributing Linux on a media set that requires brand new hardware is a little bit of a flakey idea, in my opinion.
(Various people have already said this, but let's spell it out ...) A DVD drive which doesn't read double layer DVDs is broken. All DVD drives read double layer DVDs since it's part of the DVD specification. If yours doesn't, it's either broken or not a DVD drive. Contact your vendor and demand a replacement drive. http://www.dvddemystified.com/dvdfaq.html#1.18 I bought my first DVD drive in 1999 when they started to get cheap (ISTR that I bought a 6x drive for about �60). I don't consider that one brand new. Alternatively, perhaps the OP's media is faulty. Does it read OK in other drives? Finally, is the firmware in the drive up to date? (Some laptops we bought last year required a firmware update for the drive - applied from Windows ... grr - before they would read any DVDs at all!)
Is there really any huge reason to not have a 32-bit DVD and a 64-bit DVD like 99% of the other major distros? All it is, IMO is an inconvenience.
Twice as many DVDs = double the cost. And using only one DVD makes it harder for the user to accidentally install 32-bit on a 64-bit machine, or to attempt to install 64-bit on a 32-bit machine (which will fail with an error message) sssand have to find the other DVD. One DVD also makes it easier to install 32-bit packages on a 64-bit system (often desirable for many reasons), since they're all on the same medium. I favour the one DVD fits all approach. It would be nice if it included 64-bit PowerPC as well :) -- Bill