New review of DSL!
Forum: User Feedback
Topic: New review of DSL!
started by: laughing_gas
Posted by laughing_gas on Oct. 09 2004,00:29
Looking good!< http://www.techshark.co.uk/articles.aspx?ID=28 >
Posted by Rapidweather on Oct. 09 2004,01:18
The reviewer is using DSL 0.7.3, which used the syslinux boot configuration.I am thinking that if he had tested 0.8.2 with isolinux, then he very well might have had a computer that it would not boot on.
I sure did.
---
Posted by ke4nt1 on Oct. 09 2004,03:11
laughing_gas :Thanks for the link.. I hadn't read that article..
Had I found it before the published date of 8/2004,
I would have happily responded with praise and corrections..
Rapidweather :
Since you continue to insist on harping about your booting issues and your remasters,
I guess it's only fair play to harp back..
Back in Oct 2003 ,
when I began to look into DSL seriously as an alternative
to the usual fare of installing and deleting various distros,
you were a regular contributor here in DSL forums ..
I learned much from your helpful posts, and enjoyed the comraderie with you ..
Ever since the DSL 0.8 arrived on the scene, your posts are now continously
filled with negative remarks about your booting issues , and loaded with
praises and recognition regarding your remasters of the older
0.6.x and 0.7.x series of DSL releases ..
In searching the forums under your username, I've found over a dozen posts
scattered thruout the various areas offering no substance or value , only
warnings and distaste about your experiences with the new DSL 0.8 series.
What's even worse, is that your now regurgitating this crap on new, first time
users and posters to DSL's forums ..
It's truly not the good form I remember Rapidweather displaying when all was
well with the world and DSL ..
Understand this ..
DSL is not going back to syslinux on LiveCD ..
It simply will not support what the isolinux can ..
Protesting and naysaying in the forums will not change this fact ..
Other than some bad burns, a few crazy chipsets, and some video issues
on some much older gear, DSL 0.8.x series has been a huge success ..
I personally run the latest 0.8.2 on all of the 4 laptops I own, as well as the
5 desktop systems I have, my kids 4 boxes, and have had successful bootups
on all of the 25+ machines at my studios..
Not one failure to boot ... I repeat.. not one.
I frequent this forum daily, with 20-30 other regular visitors, again, no issues..
I help new users and visitors overcome their challenges many times each day.
I have yet to be left with no choice but to suggest another distro as an alternative ..
So while I do empathize with your frustrations,
The "Rapidweather Dog & Pony Show" needs to end ..
Everyone here in the forums is aware of your challenges,
and if someone new arrives on the scene, a quick search on booting issues
will certainly display your experiences with the 0.8.x series ..
Feel free to respond here in this thread, or for a more candid and personal
touch, PM me or send email ..
What I'd truly hope to discuss with you are some solutions to your challenges.
Perhaps you feel like no one at DSL has responded to your dilemma ..
Your experience and ability with adapting DSL for your own uses
goes way beyond most peoples' grasp of things "under the hood" ..
Some more factual data on chipsets, cdroms, brands, and your methods
of creating your bootable discs would be much more beneficial to myself
and others here than the warnings or the doom and gloom scenarios
you paint in your recent postings..
Regardless of the method you choose to respond to me or the userbase here,
do respond in a manner truly disclosing your thoughts on these issues ..
I'm like a rock, and no matter if your reply is true, evasive, or even insulting,
I am firm in my beliefs and convictions about DSL and it's users.
I simply can't be shaken up.. Flak just r o l l s off my shoulders..
73
ke4nt
Posted by cbagger01 on Oct. 09 2004,04:44
FYI,Please don't interpret this as "piling on", but my guess is that you will have the exact same bootup problems with a newer version of knoppix that also uses ISOLINUX.
ISOLINUX is a requirement for full-featured kernels from this day forward so going back to SYSLINUX is not likely to happen for either distro or any other ones that try to stay current and support new & old hardware.
However, your observations about the new user experience with booting newer versions of DSL on some uncooperative computers is accurate and some other way to address this issue should be explored.
Maybe adding some additional instructions to the website Notes or FAQ. Or maybe someone can publish a remastered version of DSL that boots a (limited kernel) via SYSLINUX.
Or someone can write a script to download the floppy image and rebuild it on-the-fly into a new dsl.iso that uses SYSLINUX, kinda like the cool USB bootable pendrive script that Roberts wrote.
So, in summary:
You have made your point. Your observations have some merit.
Hopefully the way that you decided to make your point has not alienated the developers because I think that it would be a shame if other users were not provided with information or tools to easily deal with this issue just because the messenger was asking to be shot.
I hope that this post does not offend you, because it was not my intent to get under your skin, but just to speak my thoughts on the subject.
Posted by ico2 on Oct. 11 2004,17:52
would it be hard to have a syslinux version of the next iso also avaliable, would solve many ppls probs.
Posted by cbagger01 on Oct. 11 2004,21:03
Anything is possible...It is up to the developers to decide if they wish to start supporting remasters and modified versions or not.
However, they are already indirectly supporting syslinux by providing people with a boot floppy image. Many computers that do not work correctly with ISOLINUX also do not work correctly with booting from CDROM so they may also need the floppy instead of a direct BIOS boot from CDROM.
However, it is also possible for the users to do one of two things without reliance on the acceptance of extra work being done by the developers:
1) Do it yourself and then post the ISO somewhere for other people to download.
2) Provide a script to automatically do this so that people can continue to rebuild each newer vesion of DSL when it comes out.
or you can wait for an answer from the team...
Posted by roberts on Oct. 11 2004,22:01
This is under review. It is more that restoring the boot structure of syslinux. Either we have to support two versions or modify several programs to enable a common base. It is the latter that would be preferred and is being considered. Currently it is being tested. No promises yet. But we do listen and try.
Posted by WoofyDugfock on Oct. 12 2004,07:05
As a newbie I feel a bit churlish about adding any remark to this thread but there is something I have wondered ...pls bear with me.Clearly one of the most in demand (and interesting) uses of dsl is for recommissioning old hardware with a modern os. It would be fair to say this appears to me, in my short period here, to be a decent share of dsl's "market".
I read that a decision has been made to no longer maintain various backwards (hardware) compatible features in dsl's ongoing development - I imagine the syslink thing comes into this category. Of course earlier versions of dsl remain downloadable.
While it is for John and the developers to say, perhaps the idea of an eventual divergence of dsl into two development streams - one optimized for recent hardware only, the other maintaining or even focusing on backwards compatibility - might be a possible solution eg a "retro" dsl and dsl proper. But it is probably premature to consider this at this stage. Might just double the problems but it might also build a growing niche for dsl as the very best retrofit OS especially as the number of demonstrably-compatible modern apps & guis grow: there's clearly a need out there.
Just a suggestion for future consideration and I'm sure it has already occurred to people anyway....
I guess this is what Roberts meant by 'supporting two versions' anyway