On Mon June 1 2009 9:02:22 pm Rajko M. wrote:
On Monday 01 June 2009 04:51:58 pm Luiz Fernando Ranghetti wrote: ...
I believe the dvd is the most popular installation medium still. ... http://en.opensuse.org/Statistics ... Flavor Percentage dvd 89,0%
On funny side is that people download DVD and then disable in repo manager :-)
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Well, after installation, I too do that only AFTER enabling the IMAGE of the DVD as my base repo which gets used unless newer versions are available in the online OSS/nonOSS/update repos. So, I don't use the DVD AFTER installation, but I do use the *image* as a primary source. I suspect there are many others that do the same and have the original for 'spreading the word' to others without requiring additional downloads and reducing overall download bandwidths even given the many updates that need to be downloaded later in the product life. Also, having a relatively complete installation DVD allows for relatively complete and flexible installations even in remote or secure/sensitive locations where internet is not readily available or desireable. I think that if Novell wants to go out of the Open Source Software (SuSE Linux) business, one way to do it would be to offer ONLY LiveCD with Network installation for upgrade/modifications from the LiveCD template. LiveCDs are OK for demonstrations, the basis of 'repair' systems, and showcasing some of the 'latest and greatest' gee-whiz abilities, but in the long run, the money is in the flexibility SuSE (openSuSE) has historically offered coupled with a solid and wide operational base with good support from the community as well as the corporation. You start taking away any of those things, and people will migrate to the niche distros like Ubuntu or Puppy or Damm Small or 'name your favorite' because without the wide spread support SuSE offers in terms of equipment and flexibility in install options (and untill recently, reliability), people will just install the one they have heard will work on their 'brand' or just stick with Redmond because it mostly works and came on the machine anyway even though it made the machine cost more. No, I think putting as much as will fit with as many USEFUL software as can be crammed onto the DVD is a better option. I also think a DUAL LAYER DVD IMAGE should be made available for download. Dual Layer drives are readily available for Linux machines, many have installations and would burn DL images if they were available. Others with older or less demanding requirements would still opt for the single layer image but retain most of the flexibility and many would also grab the LiveCD images of REPAIR and DEMOs to show friends or use when their system balks at booting. I'm tired of booting KNOPPIX to recover my SuSE system, but booting the openSuSE installation or LiveCD system D(dv)Ds are a joke if you are trying to do certain repair/debug functions and hard to do with Knoppix, etc because the systems aren't laid out the same. It would be nice if a genuine repair system were made into a truly useful LiveCD, complete with a GUI (XFCE, ICE maybe if KDE/Gnome won't fit) set of tools AS WELL AS all of the command line tools that could be used when a GUI isn't good enough, but all put into a dedicated CD with SuSE mentality and easily customisable to allow for individual systems. A great example is Puppy Linux which boots as a LiveCD, will install in a 'frugal' mode and boot using GRUB into a SuSE system, store any personalizations on the hard drive, allow you to burn a MULTI-SESSION Bootable CD/DVD which will allow booting Puppy with all your changes and is very compatible with much of SuSE. However, Puppy ISN'T SuSE, it would be wonderfully great if openSuSE could make such a LiveCD useful for Demo/Repair using openSuSE aware tools and fully customizable to the individual system and writable to a customized media ala Puppy mentality. Just don't take away the DVD image(s) in preference to any of my other suggestions :) ... and no, at my age, I no longer will live long enough to complete such a task <frown> even if the task could be completed in just a few months ... -- To unsubscribe, e-mail: opensuse-factory+unsubscribe@opensuse.org For additional commands, e-mail: opensuse-factory+help@opensuse.org