I know I'm joining the debate a bit late, but anyway...

1. please, please and please keep things simple.
   Meaning that install should be as stripped down as possible but
   still allowing you to set thing anyway you choose.

2. don't get smart on anyone.
   I know this sounds strange but the fact is that offering predefined
   partitions or (but this is really too much) a selection of a type
   of install (workstation, server, blah, blah, blah...) in playing
   smart on the person installing the OS. Those things are a matter of
   personal choice and the best policy is to leave it that way. Of
   course one would suggest that we should offer default values. Yes, I
   agree on defaults, where there is a choice between speed and stability,
   security (e.g. telnet closed by default). But when things aren't that
   obvious (and mostly they aren't) we should let the user decide without
   any defaults. 

3. provide enough documentation.
   This is I think covered very well. But I pointing it out just to say
   that documentation should provide user with enough knowledge about
   different options they have and enabling them to decide for themselves.


jj




> How could you possibly automate that calculation in such a way as to
> please everyone? You can't! The automatic sizing hardly ever made any
> sense. That's why david's move is long overdue. The suggested defaults
> are now what most folks would have done anyway, and rest of us know
> what to do. Thank's David! Now, please end this discussion.
> 
> Frederick