Installing F8 on a Dell i6000 laptop:
1) Using the DVD:
The install comes no further than 'running /sbin/loader'
and then stops. Nothing happens anymore.
This is a curious regression from F8 test 3 where I had no
such problems!
Maybe this can be solved using one or other kernel parameter
but then you have to go and search the internet for a list
or have the kernel documentation at hand.
A complete list with comments should be available in a README
included on the DVD and a reference included in the Release Notes.
2) Using the Live CD:
Here we have a really nasty omission in the Release Notes:
The install from the Live CD seems to have changed.
You no longer get the second stage 'postinstall configuration'.
This is done implicitely and a user is not created
a) This is very confusing as you get the impression that the
install is not complete
b) When you reboot you are confronted with an inlog screen
without having a username and password available.
(There seems to be a user 'Fedora Live' or something but this
is mentioned nowhere).
Off course you can create a user and password as root but
how is a novice to know this. This is really very confusing
and it is a really nasty omission not mentioning this in the
Release Notes.
Furthermore the CD is still not ejected after the install
from CD. Very clumsy.
If you choose to load the image in memory the CD is ejected.
Good. But here we have another mistake/omission. The README
on the CD mentions that you can "select" 'Run from RAM' from
the boot menu.
a) the boot menu is only visible after pressing 'Enter' at
the boot screen. It does not appear spontaneously as it should.
b) The boot menu contains no entry "Run from RAM" !
To "Run from RAM" you have to add the kernel parameter
'live_ram'. Again no mention of this anywhere or any instructions
on how to do this.
I would have thought that one of the purposes of the Live CD
is to have an easy evaluation of Linux for new users and
an even easier install if they decide to use it.
If that is the case then I would look very carefully how
Ubuntu accomplishes this and try to emulate their smooth
approach.
What we have here is not only 'rough' but also very clumsy.
Alexander
