implemented features (Re: Decision time....)

Matthew Dillon dillon at apollo.backplane.com
Wed Jun 6 14:17:26 PDT 2007


    PkgSrc is something I agonized over for a long time.  I really wanted
    to develop my own.  But the reality is that it would take a person
    100% dedicated to that one aspect of the system to be able to do anything
    good, and maintaining a large enough package pool is impossible for a
    single person.

    This means we really have no choice but to pool resources with someone.
    Despite its major shortcomings (wanting a writable /usr/pkg directory
    tree, and an inability to update packages without putting the system into
    a half-upgraded state which might then fail to complete)... despite that,
    it is the best we can do without limited resources.


    The installer is one of those things where it is simply not possible to
    please everyone.  It just can't be done.  There are too many variables.
    My only major requirement for the DragonFly installer is that it have
    an install-from-scratch feature that blasts the system and that it be
    possible to boot the live CD (hence 'Live') into a fully working
    environment.  Supporting multi-system installs is not on my list,
    primarily because it is impossible to get it right but also because
    one has to operate under the expectation that users who do multi-OS
    installs have some idea what they are about when they do it.  We also
    have a cop-out now, which is that it is much safer to do a single-OS
    install in a virtual machine environment then it is to do it for real.

    For any serious work a machine really has to be dedicated.  If high
    performance isn't an issue, then a virtual machine environment is just
    as good.

						-Matt






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