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Date: Wed, 6 Dec 1995 09:48:37 -0500
From: Thomas David Rivers <ponds!rivers@dg-rtp.dg.com>
Message-Id: <199512061448.JAA06703@lakes>
To: ref.tfs.com!julian@dg-rtp.dg.com, rkw@dataplex.net
Subject: Re: More nits
Cc: hackers@freebsd.org
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> 
> > 
> > At 11:48 PM 11/4/95, David Greenman wrote:
> > Along those same lines, I would hope that the CD could contain enough of a
> > framework to make it fairly easy to generate a custom kernel install
> > floppy. It would be a big win if we could offer the ability to build custom
> > floppies for unusual configurations (like those 4meg'ers that can't make it
> > under the wire) or the atapi driver that doesn't quite make it into the
> > release, but for which we might find a solution for certain machines.
> 
> I really think the cdrom should contain a 4MB boot disk
> there are several assumptions we can make that make this possible..
> 
> 1/ 4MB machines will almost definitly be IDE/ESDI
>   ergo we don't need SCSI.. that's a LOT of space right there..
> 2/ they are installing from cdrom or DOS.. or other non network system.
>   ergo we don't need network stuff
> 
> taking those out MUST make a kernel that can boot in 4MB..
> don't tell me that it doesn't fit or it's too much work..
> if we can't fit another floppy on the cdrom there's a problem..
> 
> We gotta give these guys a way of installing....

 I agree, it would be nice (since I was, until recently, one of "these
guys")

 Let me point out though, that all of my 4-meg installs are on LAPTOPs
connected via a SL/IP connection (well, one is with an old 386sx and
an ancient 3c503 ethernet.)  So, I would require networking.  

 That is, most 4meg machines are either ancient or a laptop, so they
likely don't have either a CD or a large DOS partition.    If they
did have a large DOS partition, how do they get the distribution on it,
must be either a tape or network.

	- Dave R. -