[Nottingham] NTL Cache Performance Suggestions

[Robert Davies]

On Saturday 01 March 2003 23:49, you wrote:
> That's piracy. Seriously! SuSE Personal contains non-GPL software. So it's
> got to charge a fee. The one off the net is sans-that data. I really want
> the Pro edition but it's £69.99 in Staples. Although it does come with a

Sorry but SuSE Linux installs fine via ftp, you do not need ISO's, you can 
use boot floppy or burn a small bootcd and then use DHCP to a router for the 
installation, possibly using an http/ftp proxy cache (appears HTTP generally 
faster).

They have also produced 'Live CD's for Evaluation' which installs only config 
data in a container file in a  FAT partiton.

Now you will find every distro includes non-GPL software, in fact even the 
Linux kernel does :

1)  BSD drivers and code exist, see some SCSI drivers taken from Free-BSD, or 
OpenSSH, XFree, shall I go on and on.... even GNOME has license changes to 
suit it's companies behind development.

2) There's various binary files without source in some drivers, AC hates it, 
but most ppl just want the devices to work.


What you actually meant was Commercial software, non-Open Source.  Yep, SuSE 
includes Opera, and some DatabBases which are distributable, interestingly 
they can't come to terms with Nvidia to put the nvidia 3D XFree driver on CD, 
whilst Mandrake (available from ISO) can.

YaST has source available but fails to meet Open Source definition because 
you are not permitted to charge for distributing it.  Everyone is free to 
inspect the source code or modify it.

Now on dialup, what you need to do, is get a list of 'rpm -qa' output, and 
use a little scrlipt to prepare your proxy cache (as Jon says squid works, 
though I am using wwwoffle because it uses less RAM), and then run the 
installation with all the big rpm files, already downloaded.

Having just helped a disgruntled XP user in Germany, install SuSE on Friday, 
who never has used Linux before, without ISO's or boxset, you can believe me, 
a no cost install is absolutely possible.  Actually unless you are going to 
read the dead tree manuals (most ppl don't) then you can order the 'Pro 
Update' edition which for 8.1 includes only one, but excellent Administration 
manual.  For most ppl Personal gets them started, and you can download server 
stuff as and when you install them fairly quickly even on dialup.

Rob