Tim wrote:
Personally, I wouldn't mind it if disc 1 was really "core", was small, and didn't *need* any other disc to make a working system.
Well there is also the possibility that for a new arrival to Linux it should be an easy job to make a system workable. An easy install, and good tools to make it all happen from the single set of disks that the new user uses to install the system is important. Sure, I can make the install pull in most of the things that I need, and then pull in the stuff from extras and other repos that I already know I will need to get operational every 6 months or so when a new version comes out. It may be that a new arrival will be happy to accept whatever the only default is that has been decided for him/her for the desktop - but this will not apply to everybody. However I also know that if you are installing a new version each time one is released (every 6 months or so) and have a number of computers to deal with, then any extra time needed to download stuff like KDE or other big packages will multiply up to make it somewhat time-consuming to deal with. If it is all on CD (and not everybody has DVD writers or readers yet despite it being 2006 !) then it is a lot easier than coping with network installs for major parts of the system. If the installer can indeed handle additional discs (CDs), and put in large packages, or can install from a mirror in an easy way then it can be made to work - but not all users have fast net connections. There are still some people who have to install with just the media that are available for a distribution - for example in the UK there are some areas without broadband and that will remain true for a while yet. I expect that there will still be as many people who will want KDE as Gnome - particularly for people who want configurability. And some packages are much more suited to one desktop than another and work better in one rather than the other... This discussion will not doubt have a while yet to run! -- mike cohler
