On Thu, 16 Sep 1999, gabriel rosenkoetter wrote:

> On Thu, Sep 16, 1999 at 05:25:06PM +0100, Sergio Brandano wrote:
> > NetBSD current (19990620) sums up to exactly 45851 Kb. Considering the
> > difficulty with formatting, booting and then transfering the system,
> > would'nt it be easier to distribute an image file of a bootable floppy?
> > The installation at that stage would be really a snap:
> >  1. download the image 
> >  2. save it on floppy
> >  3. boot from the floppy 
> >    - you are on UNIX, easy!
> >  4. format the HD partition, copy the system, reboot without floppy.
> > 
> >  easy, easy easy...
> > 
> >  Since all the trouble is how to get started, this would solve
> >  quite well (and I can finally pass from Linux to BSD!).
> 
> That's a great idea, if there were any way for a (Mac OS-made) disk
> image to have the faked Apple boot info that dd image we use now, but
> there isn't (disk images inherently imply Apple disks... or, at
> least, formats Macs can read - ufs isn't one of those, and ufs with
> a hacked up Apple partition map at the front sure as hell isn't).

I don't think that's the stumbling block. We've distributed diskimgages of
boot disks before. The problem is that the only tools to make the disk
images run under MacOS, and most of the folks making the disks don't run
MacOS. Thus it's hard to generate disk images.

Take care,

Bill