Re: [cobalt-users] New Raq3 GUI finished?!?

["Zeffie" <cobaltlist@xxxxxxxx>]

> My Red Hat installations are pretty slim; but I agree, getting there
> isn't quick or intuitive; it takes a custom install and an awful lot of
> unchecking I've learned over the years and have to relearn with every
> new release.

Ohhh I'll tell ya the Potato version is a pain in the butt!  So far I have
tried only 2 installations (simple and advanced) and I'm not as happy as I
was with their older version "Slink".  I get the feeling that they are
moving more to the make your own version/cd with what you want mode.  In
trying to burn a cd for it I had to hunt for a while.  They keep wanting me
to make a floppy and install over the net or make "Your own custom
CD/Version".  I made a cd so expect a new revision within a month :(

Cobalt users
If you wanted to build a server with this software you would have to
"select" each and every package you want to install.  From the type of "ftp"
to the type of "ls" program.  In essence you need to know a couple hundred
programs rather well so you know what you want and what you don't so your
server goes faster.  (Less overhead)

Cobalt devices allow the user to automatically have a large set of these
packages that get used at one time or another depending on the user.  Cobalt
has already made the decision for you and added a system by which you can
control certain sections of the operating system.  Which gets you out of
knowing a zillion packages.  It's a good thing...

> A while back I started working on an Internet-server class version of
> RH, to be built on the latest version of RH with a cleaned up install
> system, but I dropped it.  Is there a good Internet-server install on
> Debian?  Or do I still have to make my own?

On slink I would say Yes.... both a basic and advanced versions that get
updated automatically via a program built in to the base install.  You could
use that but you would have to require the user to update after it was
installed which gets the user back to configuring things they may not know
about.  The Std server adds 50 meg to the base and the comp add 69meg.

Potato will allow you to make a cd with just what you want on it.  Yes you
have to pick one by one from "ls" to "apache".  I'm working on this myself
to be distributed later this year.  (not for cobalt's however)

> > You won't get a gui unless you install webmin.  I would have to check
> > believe they are working with a 2.4 kernel?
> I hope not.  I won't use 2.4 until they've gotten at least to 2.4.11 or
> so.  Remember all the problems with 2.2?
>

I think this is a good time to point out that even though the internet is
only 4 or 5 years old (Err the popular version) kernel development has
increased dramatically...  Even the U.S. government is helping out!  Or
should I say getting tired of all this bad code making them work harder. :)
Kernel development will always have some bugs and it is very important for
Cobalt (for example) to delay deployment of newer kernels until they are
sure they are stable versions.  We are also dependent on them to send in
there 'code' to be worked into the latest kernel.

> I know we're getting more off-topic, but I kept this onlist because I
> think a lot of list-readers are interested.

Yep sometimes you just don't know how good you've got it and I think some
people don't understand that.

Zeffie
"The Mad Scientist"