Subject: comments on sysinst (3.1)
To: None <tech-install@netbsd.org>
From: Jeremy C. Reed <reed@reedmedia.net>
List: tech-install
Date: 11/17/2006 15:03:59
I installed 3.1 on amd64 today. I took a few pages of notes. Here are some 
comments:

1) What is "wd0"?  (Yes, I know. But a user may not understand "wd0".)

2) Missing explanation of acronym "MBR".

3) In partition editor, "bootmenu: " is not documented.
You don't know what to enter there until later it errors.

4) Screen said to add bootmenu entry -- but then goes back to choose 
entire disk. It should probably go back to partition editor. (We already 
know they chose that.)

5) In missing bootmenu menu, it had "Netbsd" (lower case "bsd"). I already 
committed fix for that just now.

6) disklabel menu does not have letters on left for menu entries. So 
bottom menu entries such as "Accept partition sizes ..." don't immediately 
appear to be menu options to go to.

7) I had a bad CD so some sets didn't extract completely. I received a 
screen saying it was incomplete. I pressed enter and it said "is 
complete". Since the previous display said it was not complete it should 
not continue to next screen saying it is.

8) It failed basic sanity checking. But then next screen said the 
installation "is now complete." Since we know if failed, it should not say 
installation is complete.

9) For error on extracting tar ball on last tarball -- it should not have 
a choice to "continue" extracting sets (when error was on last set).

10) After I chose the reinstall or add new sets menu, when completed (even 
though I had errors), I received a screen about following INSTALL 
document, afterboot(8) manual page and rc_configured=YES.

I never received that screen when I did the normal install to hard disk 
though. Normally I would not choose the reinstall sets menu.


Any comments on above?

What parts do you want me to send-pr?

I haven't looked at code for a while so didn't look to fixing yet -- but 
feel free to point me some code and I will try fixing a few of these.

- Jeremy C. Reed

ps. On my amd64 laptop, to have keyboard work I stopped boot, did "boot 
-c". Typed "disable ohci" (and "quit") at userconf prompt.