Re: (summary?) Re: [RFC] Support for using multiple CDs during installation

Christian Perrier wrote:
> Frans' proposal adds an extra question when doing CD installs, to
> prompt users whether they want to use another CD or not. This, even if
> they did choose a network mirror before.

It asks for all the CDs first, there's no path through the install that asks about a network mirror first (if anna uses a network mirror, this isn't a full CD and so it doesn't ask for other full CDs, AIUI).

> My main reason for this is also that I think that much users will
> *always* choose a mirror even when they don't have broadband (or don't
> want to use it: think about corporate networks where using the
> Internet connections for installing systems is considered harmful even
> if that connection is broadband). So, actually pre-deciding that if
> they do so, they don't want to use extra CDs, is indeed an incorrect
> interpretation of the average user's behaviour wrt questions asked.

If you're on a corporate network and choose to use a mirror and this works and yet the corporate network's policy doesn't allow it, than at least three things are broken (a stupid policy that trusts random CDs more than gpg signed data on the network, a flawed implementation in the network, and a flawed adherance to that policy). Sorry, I can't take that example too seriously as a goal to design for, although I'm sure it's realistic.

If you're not on broadband and you choose to use a mirror, it takes half an hour or more just to download the Packages file. Apt can estimate this reaonably well so you shouldn't even need to wait, you can just see in the progress bar estimate that the network is slow[1] This is a good indication that you made the wrong choice -- installing any significant tasks will take much longer -- and all that's really needed then is a Cancel button so you can move on to using a CD instead.

By the way, the above stuff is also nice to have if your network is fast but you choose a bad mirror.

-- 
see shy jo

[1] apt's estimate is not currently exposed to the user by apt-setup,
    but this should be fixable by using debconf-apt-progress.

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