Is it time for Slackware on multiple DVDs?
 

So a little while ago I tried to burn -current to a DVD and it wouldn't fit. Wasn't a big deal for me as I just copied it to a partition I didn't plan on formatting and installed it from there. Since then I've noticed other people mentioning this fact once or twice here and I started thinking about how Slackware still comes on multiple CDs.

What harm would come from supplying Slackware on multiple DVDs (two for now I guess)? I'm not suggesting that Pat and Co. should start including more software to fill it up, and it would provide a little bit of buffer as far as the size of things goes. If any of them have any projects on the side that the think work well but aren't included because they aren't really needed they could put them on there. Perhaps the larger DEs (KDE, Xfce) could be located on 'Disk 2', maybe even (since there will be tons of space left over, at least for now) create a 'Slackbuilds.org' software set of popular programs, but with a notice that they may not install properly and leave it to the corresponding maintainer to take care of those (rather than Pat worrying about maintaining them).

Questions, comments, thoughts anyone?

If you use a double-layer blank, it'll all fit without having to leave anything out or move anything around.

The Slackware DVD is a dual-sided disc, and if the sources are split between the two sides there will still be room for the x86 stuff on one side and the x86_64 stuff on the other. That said, the rate of growth is making it harder to squeeze everything on there, and at some point we'll need to consider having separate DVD releases for x86 and x86_64 (which would be nice, since we could use a single-sided double-layer disc and have the layout exactly the same as on the FTP site.

CDs, on the other hand, are rapidly looking like floppy discs to me. I'd love to be able to drop that and focus on distributing DVDs. I wonder if people really need CDs for installation these days, or if they've just kept a subscription to the CD release out of inertia? Anyway, if anyone reading this has a subscription for the CD release but would be OK with a DVD instead, maybe consider contacting the store and changing your subscription? CDs are going to be a tight fit this time, and probably we'd have to include the sources on a DVD anyway. I don't see how the next release can be shoehorned onto 6 CDs this time around otherwise.

The only thing that I use install cd's for anymore is just to start the install. After that, I have a local mirror set up to install from. I could honestly just use a usb drive instead, and work just as well. I would be fine without cd's and just go to dvd's.

p.s. As a side note, if you do go all dvd, what will happen to those of us with a subscription on cd?

I try to do all installs via PXE these days and maintain the necessary versions on a couple of boxen just for that purpose.

But of course, I have a few systems which do not support PXE (or DVD) so I fall back to CD1 then NFS mostly to get those going.

So while I would be OK with DVD only, a bootable CD is still handy for me, even if it doesn't include the whole set.

And thanks Pat for everything!

I'd be okay with Slackware going DVD-only. For those of us that burn the .iso onto the disc and install from there, it's much easier to have a single DVD include everything than having to sit through the installer and switch out the CDs when prompted to do so.

WoW ... i think not all have access to DVD readers or burners.

I think not all have access to fast internet connections.

But honestly i don't know.

Will this be the last Slackware version on CDs ?

I would only need CD 1 to boot and run setup.

So I just grab Alien Bob's "slackware-mini-install.iso"

http://connie.slackware.com/~alien/slackboot/mini/

I, at least, still have some CD-only machines that won't boot from USB.

I guess I could get around it with a network install, but a rather current, bootable, CD is still going to be necessary to start the process. Perhaps limit the CDs to a bootable .iso image? I could burn and use that.

I also have some 286-based boxes and a few Amigas, but we needn't mention those! ;v)

I kept a cd sub for a long time, in fact I only upgraded to a dvd sub for 13.37. I never use the Slackware cd's or dvd's most are still in the shrink wrap, local mirror and PXE FTW. I would think in this day and age a huge majority of users have dvd drives. 20 bucks for a dvd drive is not going to break the bank for those that don't have a dvd drive. As long you keep cd iso's or directions on how to roll your own iso I would not see the harm in dropping the cd's. Dvd's are more efficient.

I really like the Slackware approach of providing a hell of a lot of "stuff" at install time (compare to Ubuntu install CD of 600-odd MB but lots of subsequent live internet downloads). Our way means one download can install lots of machines (and friends' machines) - again unlike the Ubuntu way. And because Slackware doesn't have dependency management, having it all at the start makes it subsequently easier to grow - hence the disdain for partial installs. So any attempt to make the release fit on some arbitrary (small) size is to be frowned upon. There have been lots of other threads asking people what else Slackware needs, so the pressure is on to add even more, especially where some of these projects are really useful and complex (eg LibreOffice). I can't help thinking that we should be leaning towards a very small bootable CD installer, with the rest of the download image placed on a USB stick. Possibly in named sections, where each section is a free-standing dependency -matched unit - ie everything needed to run a utility in that section is included. This would NOT be like the old floppy layout. The sections could be named like : office, multimedia (or audio,video), games, development, gui's, etc. Anyway - it's just an idea ....

I have a bluray drive so PV: Start loading it up :).

I am glad that you have not had the experience, but 20 bucks can mean the difference in feeding the kids - or not - for some people at times (even the computer literate!). And being able to resurrect an old box with a CD drive to bootstrap yourself back to life could look like a pretty good option at times!

Some old boxes can't use a DVD, even if it is free as in beer. Granted, most boxes that old won't see many more new installs, and there is an end to that road, but in the overall scheme of things the CD installation option still has high value for some, and one more release on CD can go along way!

I am a DVD user.

However, I think that Slackware Inc. should provide as much flexibility for installation as possible. As long as the number of CD users is relevant, they should be properly attended. Maybe you should politely ask the subscribers to move on if possible, and watch how many say it is not possible. Or maybe we can make a poll right here (although it makes for unrepresentative statistics).

One of the minor reasons why I use Slackware is because you can order a DVD and install an environment you can work with, without having a permanent network connection. Slackware seems easier to manage offline (installing SlackBuilds downloaded in a Cyber Cafe is easier than installing DEB packages downloaded in a Cyber Cafe). As I see it, buying the installation media is not only an act of support for the distribution, but also the buying of a service. I guess that, if the CDs were discontinued now, someone would build his own ISOS and post them somewhere in order to provide that service to dvdless people.

And yes, is cool to use local DVD and avoid wasting the bandwidth of the mirrors.

i think providing Slackware64 as DVD-only, but keeping the CD set for Slackware(32) is a good compromise

Yes, that does sound like a good compromise.