Re: Request for review/testing: switching the default installer

On Mon, Mar 7, 2011 at 4:56 PM, Nathan Whitehorn <nwhitehorn_at_freebsd.org> wrote:
> On 03/07/11 14:14, Freddie Cash wrote:
>> Things that irritated me:
>>   - when you drop to a shell from the disk editor screen, it lists the
>> instructions at the top, but then never repeats them ever again
>
> Can you suggest a better way to do this? In other words, when and in what
> circumstances would you want to see them again?

It follows along with the next item, so I'll address them both below.

>>   - if you get lost in the disk editor shell and type "exit" to get
>> back to the disk editor ... it thinks you are finished partitioning
>> and carries on with the install, which then errors out due to no
>> writable filesystems, requiring you to restart the entire process
>
> This is bad. I can modify it to check if a filesystem has been mounted at
> /mnt, and maybe if the fstab file exists and restart the disk editor menu if
> they have not.

If something like the above is done, then the first item above is also
handled.  :)

As in, if you forget the instructions, just exit the shell to go back
to the disk editor, which then complains you don't have a mounted
filesystem to install to, and then you can drop back to the shell.

Maybe loop back to the beginning of the disk editor, where it asks you
if you want to do it Guided, Manual, or Shell?  Or something like
that.

"Something" needs to go here to check for a mounted, writable
filesystem to install to.  :)

On the flip side, the entire install process is short enough that it's
not too onerous to restart it.

>>   - the disk editor is very limited, especially in its error handling;
>> I found myself stuck in a loop trying to exit the screen without a /
>> filesystem listed, but I was doing everything from the shell
>
> That's a clear bug. It should probably only validate the setup if 'Save' is
> selected. The issue of whether it should allow you to save without defining
> a / partition when invoked from a shell is a more complicated one, and one
> I'll have to think about (suggestions welcome).

I don't recall there being a Save option, but maybe I skipped over it
and just went to Exit.  I'll have to look at this screen again.  Using
Save probably would have helpded.  :)

>>   - screen flips between a nice blue background (the curses
>> interface?) and a black background (running shell commands?) which is
>> quite jarring and slightly confusing;
>>   - screen elements go from nicely centred (curses interface?) and
>> then jump to the top-left corner of the screen (shell commands?) which
>> is also quite jarring and slightly confusing
>
> Yes, this should be prettified. It's running a few things (passwd, adduser)
> in a chroot, and I figured getting things working there was more important
> than making them pretty for now.

It's a minor nit, as sysinstall does the same.  Maybe there's a way to
use text input fields (like the DHCP screens, and adduser screens from
sysinstall), then run the commands in the background, and just show
error/success messages?  [shrug] I know nothing about curses
programming.  :)

-- 
Freddie Cash
fjwcash_at_gmail.com