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Date:      Tue, 30 Jun 2009 10:30:35 -0600
From:      Tim Judd <tajudd@gmail.com>
To:        Glen Barber <glen.j.barber@gmail.com>
Cc:        freebsd-questions <freebsd-questions@freebsd.org>
Subject:   Re: ANNOUNCE: Custom GNOME-based FreeBSD iso released
Message-ID:  <ade45ae90906300930s31f9095bs11dca6290903e0e1@mail.gmail.com>
In-Reply-To: <4ad871310906300859m74a6967vdbf74b984f8a316c@mail.gmail.com>
References:  <4A4A2025.9020401@otenet.gr> <d356c5630906300819v40eb2464m49a9e46ae46a9b3d@mail.gmail.com> <ade45ae90906300845q40e3d8d9uc6d994670db67ecb@mail.gmail.com> <4ad871310906300859m74a6967vdbf74b984f8a316c@mail.gmail.com>

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On 6/30/09, Glen Barber <glen.j.barber@gmail.com> wrote:
> On Tue, Jun 30, 2009 at 11:45 AM, Tim Judd<tajudd@gmail.com> wrote:
>>>
>>> It would be interesting to see how much demand exists for an
>>> installation DVD with KDE 3.5.  (KDE lost a large amount of voter
>>> share in Linux Journal's last Readers' Choice Awards.)
>>>
>
> [snip]
>
>>
>> When I run KDE, I run KDE4.  I'm not asking for someone to generate a
>> KDE3.5 or KDE4 install medium, but where is the line?
>>
>> If we make XFCE4, and Gnome2.26, why not Enlightenment, Blackbox,
>> KDE3.5, KDE4, etc etc etc?
>>
>>
>
> If I remember correctly, there already are two of these [1][2], soon
> to be followed by a third [3].

Manolis has made [1] and [2], and I just am starting to wonder where
the line will be drawn.  Not that I ask for a line to be drawn, rather
if it's going to go on forever with 20 (or 20^20) choices for the end
user to make.  We already have people asking on IRC which ISO to use.

>
>>
>> Earlier, I made hints at a webGUI install (the install medium would
>> boot into X, basic setup (VESA driver @1024x768, 24 [or 16bit]
>> depth)), run firefox or another lightweight browser (even lynx in the
>> console if X fails to start) on it's own filesystem or over apache.
>> Once network configuration is done, you can pull the data sets for
>> your choice of WM from the internet.
>>
>>
>> I think this has potential, and would offer making it (already started
>> on it), but I think my statements went on deaf ears when addressed to
>> the broad public.
>>
>> So I'll ask again if anyone else would be interested in this.  The
>> advantage is that on this webGUI install, you can offer it (secured of
>> course) over the internet for someone more technical to do the install
>> or configuring, including the same post-install configuration that
>> sysinstall offers.
>>
>
> I like the idea, but wouldn't you need console access to get the
> network configured?  Unless I am misunderstanding your intention, it
> appears you are replacing ssh access with apacheXX (or lighttpd, etc).
>  I like the idea, otherwise.

Well, you have to slap in the CD to the drive, right?  Let it bootup,
do simple net config (if needed) then tell the remote end
"Preconfigured with IP x.x.x.x and authentication xuser pass xpass."

The issue will be after install and it gets restarted, will the CD
boot again and be stuck in that loop.  This is the same problem as the
existing sysinstall CDs that you have to eject it before it boots
again.  the NT boot CDs from 2000 onward have a nice function that if
the cd is selected to boot, and it times out, it forces (doesn't
return control to the BIOS) a HDD boot.  Maybe we need to come up with
a cd bootloader that accomplishes similar task?  Would be a nice boost
to the community not to have a stuck CD and not a running OS.


As for the actual commands to execute to get this configured, since
it's a liveCD, my first thought process to get the tasks done are to
SUID the binaries to root, and post-install, the binaries are they're
normal binaries.


My webpages are never designed as eyecandy.  rather they're very
boring white page with a form.  It's lynx compatible too, after all.



>
> [1] - http://pcbsd.org/
> [2] - http://www.desktopbsd.net/
> [3] - http://www.tomahawkcomputers.com/
>
> --
> Glen Barber
>



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