Installer option to install everything / little, was Re: FC5T2 ready ...

David Timms dtimms at bigpond.net.au
Mon Jan 23 19:04:38 UTC 2006


David Timms wrote:

> Brian D. Carlstrom wrote:
>
>> John Summerfied writes:
>> > Rahul Sundaram wrote:
>> > > You are the first for this release.
>> > Third today by my count, but I've not been watching closely.
>>
>> I used to be selective about package installation, but on a recent
>> machine I just selected everything. The main reason is because I run a
>>  
>
> OK, I was going to file an enh request regarding this, but since there 
> is lots of opines here, what do people think of the following as a 
> solution to the various views expressed:
> 1. Everything option (stays) removed.
>
> 2. For the list at left (the general groups), a right click popup is 
> provided, with two options.
>  a. unselect all [?ctrl-shift-a (gimp) not sure what other appz 
> standardize on]
> All groups would be deselected, leave only the "base operating system" 
> (for firewall / special builders)
>  b. select all - [ctrl-a]
>  c. select all - default optional components
> All default parts of each of the 6? groups would be selected.
>
> 3. For each package sub group (RHS) with options: again a right click 
> popup is provided with the same three options:
>  a. as above
>  b. as above
>  c. default selections (so if you make a mistake you can easily go 
> back, without restarting the installer - Probably also good for the 
> left list as well.
>
> Coding could be pretty simple (for items in chosen list, check= 
> on/off, not sure about the default selects - ignore for v1?)...(same 
> in text mode installer!)
>
> Anyway, good potential solution ???  DaveT.

Umm, reply to self since got no starters ; ) given the long winded and 
poorly named discussion in "FC5T2 ready for even a test release?", I 
though it better to start a thread with an actual subject indicating the 
matter at hand.

Rahul: would a method to achieve lots of peoples goals like the one 
above not kill multiple birds with the one stone: ?
1. The UI stays neet, no special checkboxes.
2. Normal users probably wont find the option (hidden in a right click), 
reducing it's actual use to special case where people need it, and 
who'll learn how to do it.
3. Makes it much quicker for the user to install none of the options 
within a category.
4. Makes it much quicker for the user to install all options within a 
category. (even if only to have a minimum no of packages to unselect to 
get ehat you really wanted).
5. Make it easy to select the installers defaults again.
What say you all ?

My point of view was getting a minimumish install on a low space/spec 
machine. I spent probably close to ten minutes going to each category, 
and then unselecting each optional item that I didn't want to get 
installed.  The programming to achieve the same would probably have 
taken the same amount of time, and it would be sown once and reaped 
forever, for minimal/maximal users alike.




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