Discoveries about the source code

[JF Martinez <jfm2@club-internet.fr>]

About types of install
----------------------

The RedHat install has an array for different types of install.  This
array has presently the values Server, Workstation, Custom.  It the
user chooses Server or Workstation then it sets differents HINT flags
some of them controlling partitionning and the kind of repartitionning
to carve.  I have still have not discovered if they ask for
confirmation (I don't have a spare box so I have to infer from the
source).

About how packages are selerected when you choose Server and
Workstation.  In fact it looks for a cetgory matching the name.
Server and workstation are separate categories in the com files so
they are found and their software is selected (they have the flag
--hide so they don't show in the Custom menu).  Custom (and any type
of install whose name does not match a category in the comps file)
will cause to prompt a selection by categories.

So adding a category like HomeStation or whatever name we give to it
is a matter of adding an antry to the array, modify the following
hardwired test for Custom (and while we are at it make this mess a bit
cleaner and commented) and add a HomeStation category in the comps
file with the --hide flag.

While we are at it we have to decide which set of daemons (when we
propose alternatives to RedHat's) to install.  Theirs tend to be
bettter for heavy duty sites and for people who have experience as
sysadmins (and know about the traditional daemons and perhaps have
configs about them.  Ours tend to be smallr, easier to configure and
more adequate for small companies and private persons.

There are two ways to do this: Ask for traditional versus Indy style
(or whatever name we give it) and then ask for
Server/Workstation/HomeStation.  The problem is we add a question to
everyone and too manyt questions confuse people specially when the guy
has his knees shaking due to this being his first Linux install.
Abnother possibilty be to ask only to people using the Custom install
(most people using it would be expeerienced) while Servers get
traditional and Workstations/Homstations get Indylike.  We would use
--exclude categories for implementing this. 

Another thing I have noticed in the source is that Server and
worksation isnatlls are not prompted for daemons to start and this is
a "Good Thing TM".  However it seems (not sure) both are started at
run level 3 and this means far too many daemons for Workstations.  I
think it would be good to drop Workstations and Homastations in level
2.

-- 
			Jean Francois Martinez

Project Independence: Linux for the Masses
http://www.independence.seul.org