Frederick Bruckman wrote:
> In article <000e01c671b0$3bf347e0$0100a8c0@gargamel>,
> 	"Konstantin KABASSANOV" <Konstantin.Kabassanov@lip6.fr> writes:
>   
>> PAX=/usr/tools/bin/nbpax sh /usr/src/distrib/common/buildfloppies.sh  -i
>> "/usr/tools/bin/nbinstallboot  -mi386 @IMAGE@
>> /usr/obj/destdir.i386/usr/mdec/bootxx_ustarfs" -p  -m 2 -s .fs  boot 2880
>> boot  netbsd
>> Running instboot: /usr/tools/bin/nbinstallboot -mi386 floppy.25252.tar
>> /usr/obj/destdir.i386/usr/mdec/bootxx_ustarfs
>> Free space in last tar block: boot 188, netbsd 315,
>> buildfloppies.sh: Image is 3387 bytes (3 KB) too big to fit on 2 disks
>>
>> *** Failed target:  boot1.fs
>> *** Failed command: PAX=/usr/tools/bin/nbpax sh
>> /usr/src/distrib/common/buildfloppies.sh -i "/usr/tools/bin/nbinstallboot
>> -mi386 @IMAGE@ /usr/obj/destdir.i386/usr/mdec/bootxx_ustarfs" -p -m 2 -s .fs
>> boot 2880 boot netbsd
>> *** Error code 1
>>
>> Stop.
>> nbmake: stopped in /usr/src/distrib/i386/floppies/bootfloppy
>>     
>
> "Me too."
>
> I propose removing "bad144" from the i386 installation media.
>
> I find that "bootfloppy" and "bootfloppy-com" *just* *fit* into
> 2880 KB with 0K padding, after commenting out "bad144" from
> "ramdisk-big/list". Does anyone have a better idea? Would anyone
> really miss "bad144"?  Is that even enough, or will it just fill
> up again in a day or two?
>   

Hmm... it strikes me that we are fighting a never ending battle with the
1.44 media.  Maybe its time to rethink this?

E.g. put a bootloader (or light-weight kernel) on floppy, and require
that the person installing put the rest of the software on any one of:

    1) CDROM/DVD
    2) Network server
    3) Local hard drive
    4) USB dongle

The days of getting much use out of disconnected (no network) systems
with floppy drives as their only external storage seem to be waning (to
put it mildly).  How much is it worth our effort to continue to support
such systems.

Don't like ~99% just use network or CDROMs as the way they install now? 
Is it worth spending a huge amount of effort to try to make things
slightly easier for that last 1%?

    -- Garrett

-- 
Garrett D'Amore, Principal Software Engineer
Tadpole Computer / Computing Technologies Division,
General Dynamics C4 Systems
http://www.tadpolecomputer.com/
Phone: 951 325-2134  Fax: 951 325-2191