> >> Here's a suggestion to avoid these problems: Change disklabel's idea
> >> of the `source of truth' to be the MBR, not the operator.
> 
> >I disagree, it should do what I want.
> >1.2 install is almost perfect for me.
> 
> Lucky for *you*.
> 
> The i386 1.2 and 1.2.1 installation is unacceptable to me.  It
> has wiped out every single hard disk I have installed it on.

Maybe we should have normal and expert mode in the install script ?

> Besides, having to use a pencil and paper is mororic.

Yes, the fix is in my second sentence:

> > I can see only possible improvement:
> >give operator default start and length of NetBSD portion of disk, if
> >there is NetBSD fdisk partition already defined (but don't force
> >the operator to use them! ).
> 
> You seem to not be listening.
> 
> If I am installing NetBSD onto a machine that already has Linux, and I
> need to keep the Linux partition, then it's vital to me that NetBSD
> obey what the MBR says.
> If I do that from Linux, and set up an empty MBR slice for NetBSD, the
> 1.2 installation *trashes the disk*.

I have installed 1.2 on machines with one or more of MSDOS,
Win 95,Win NT, Linux and BSD/OS, on NetBSD-only machines without fdisk table,
on the second partition of the third disk, even on part of disk without
fdisk table (doing fdisk and DOS install a few months later) and never had
problem other than finding the pencil. 

> >I hate computer lying to me.
> 
> You have not understood my suggestion. I am not suggesting anywhere
> that we make the computer `lie to you'.  I am suggesting we change the
> primary way *you* tell NetBSD where your i386 NetBSD partition is on
> the hard disk to be the MBR.

I think I understand: you want to eliminate start/offset of NetBSD
question from setup script and derive the numbers always from fdisk table.
I have objected to doing NetBSD portion (d part.) shorter than whole
disk if there is no fdisk table.

> I think the reasons for that are obvious: the hardware often requires
> that we lie to the BIOS or OS about the disk geometry already, and the
> currently-recommended method is too error-prone even if the bugs are
> fixed.
> 


-- 
Zdenek Salvet                                              salvet@ics.muni.cz 
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           If God had meant for us to be in the Army,
         we would have been born with green, baggy skin.