If I install additional packages from a dvd when first installing 6.0.6 (in other words, when the OS installer is running), should I make those dvd's bootable when I burn them to disc (supposedly with Brasero), or would a direct copy be more suitable, or, more precisely, exactly how do I handle getting the additional ISOs onto disc?

Thanks.

It is not clear exactly what you are wanting to do.

If you can download the extra disks then you can use a package manager (apt-get, aptitude or synaptic) to get all other packages from the Debian repos directly.

Then all you need to do is make sure that the disks are not still listed as a source in the /etc/sources.list which the installer should do before it closes.

This is a better way to do get packages. It is quicker and with you linked to the repos any upgrades will be available.

Using the disks is great, however, if you have a lousy connection or maybe no connection at times. All those disks have are packages from the repos.

You will not be wanting all of them so downloading them is a waste of band width.

They do not need to be bootable. They will not boot as there is nothing on them to boot.

You use them through package manager from your install or they are called for if installing the packages while installing the OS. They do need burned as an image so that they will work properly with what ever package manager is being used.