[TriLUG] different versions of 7.2 for sale]

[al johson]

Well, it's been a while since I used RedHat's installer (it was version 6.2)
so these comments are probably not applicable to your latest edition which I
haven't yet seen. The best thing I like about Mandrake is that you can
install Linux by basically just answering one question (Do you want a
workstation or a server?). There are a few hardware questions, e.g. to
install a printer you have to tell them what kind of printer you have.  And
most important of all if you choose not to do a custom installation it will
install just about all of your hardware including the sound card AND printer
THEN (not later with two other programs that were supplied by Red Hat 6.2
but NEVER MENTIONED DURING INSTALLATION!! ). What makes Mandrake popular is
because you can recommend it to just about anybody and they can easily
install a Linux system on their computer. This is undoubtedly the reason
Mandrake has received several magazine awards as having the best DESKTOP
installer. For those who want to slug through all the options, they are
still there, but there is an old saying: you've got to learn to crawl before
you can walk :-) In fact, most people I've talked to say that a Mandrake
installation is much easier than ANY Microsoft Windows installation they've
ever done!! So I would recommend that Red Hat think about offering a very
simple installation of Linux, and keep in mind I'm speaking of
Desktops,since I'm certain installing Servers are much more complicated.
However, I've heard of people using Mandrake to set up a server as well,
which is also reported by them to be much simpler to accomplish than using
Red Hat. However, I have other friends who like Red Hat just as well. I'm of
the opinion that ALL the desired hardware should be installed at one time
and not piecemeal. However, Mandrake 8.0 had one big problem for me. Instead
of offering Yes/No responses to options they gave a LIT star which totally
confused me, because I could not figure out whether leaving the star lit
meant that the feature was switched on or off !! (Moreover, while Mandrake
7.2 installed my ISA plug and play modem, Mandrake 8.0 did not!!) So the
other gripe I have is to make it easy to understand precisely what you're
doing. Clearly some programmers get too carried away with graphics to the
point of creating unnecessary confusion. I would suggest that RedHat do what
IBM used to do when they designed instructions for some of their early PC's.
They would design a box, the instructions, and put the computer inside it.
The instructions were designed so that anyone could do it. BUT THEN THEY
TESTED WHAT THEY HAD DONE BY GIVING THE NEW DESIGNS TO SECRETARIES, AND
OTHER EMPLOYEES AND GOT FEEDBACK FROM THEIR OWN EMPLOYEES WHO DID NOT WORK
ON THE DESIGN. Every little problem was noted and then changes in the
product was made. My dad, who was a customer engineer for IBM for over 20
years said Big Blue was famous for making constant changes in all their
products. I would suggest that once you find something that EVERYONE WHO CAN
READ can install that unlike Microsoft you leave it alone. Tradition is
always very helpful and makes users feel comfortable.--That's my two cents,
I'm sure other Mandrake users have other opinions as well. Basically their
loader just seems to be very clear (except for the "diamond problem" in
8.0).--Al
================
----- Original Message -----
From: Brent Fox <bfox at linuxheadquarters.com>
To: <trilug at trilug.org>; Vestal, Roy L. <rvestal at rti.org>;
<trilug at trilug.org>
Sent: Monday, October 29, 2001 8:32 PM
Subject: Re: [TriLUG] different versions of 7.2 for sale]


> Hi Roy,
>
>     I work for Red Hat on the installer (and various config tools), and
I'm
> curious as to what people like better about the Mandrake installer.  At
the
> end of every release, I do a comparative analysis on the installers for
many
> other OSes (various Linux distros, Solaris x86, various Windows versions,
> etc.) to try to determine areas in which we are lacking.  I do this
because I
> want our installer (and our OS as a whole) to be the best one available.
>
> Specifically, how is Mandrake's installer easier to use?  How does it help
> you better understand what you are installing?
>
> So I guess the question isn't just to Roy, but to everybody:
>   What can we do to make the Red Hat Linux installer better?
>
>
> Cheers,
>   Brent
>
>
> On Wednesday 24 October 2001 10:42 am, Vestal, Roy L. wrote:
> > Being one from the Windoze world, I can say that I like the "bloating"
in
> > the install. I'm learning this from experience as well as books.  I
don't
> > have the *nix background like alot of the folks in TriLUG. Being used to
> > bloat from the master himself, Mr. G., it does help some.
> >
> > I do have one request, if any of the RH folks are reading, the installer
> > from Mandrake is a lot easier to use for those of us that are learning
this
> > way. There is a lot of front end, and the install takes longer, but it
> > helped me understand what I was installing. I personally WANT to use RH
> > Linux, since I'm a homegrown NC boy, I prefer RH to any other. Call me a
> > hick, or a good ol' boy, but I plan on hanging on.
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