Re: Linux Downloads page change

On Tue, Jul 10, 2012 at 10:47 AM, Bruce Momjian <bruce(at)momjian(dot)us> wrote:

> On Tue, Jul 10, 2012 at 03:39:54PM +0100, Dave Page wrote:
> > On Tue, Jul 10, 2012 at 3:25 PM, Scott Mead <scottm(at)openscg(dot)com> wrote:
> > >
> > >
> > > 1) A no-gui option
> > > The bitrock installers do have this, but at times, the technology
> isn't
> > > perfect. Many times, people want to just run a command and have it
> install.
> > > The idea with an RPM of these binaries is that we get the benefit of
> the
> > > same binaries across installers, AND lower the barrier to entry by
> making
> > > rpm -ivh ... just work.
> >
> > No technology is perfect, but we have numerous users utilising text,
> > silent and response file installations quite successfully, including
> > all the additional post-copy steps the installers undertake. We also
> > have an unpack mode which is much more like an RPM install in that it
> > just lays down the binaries. Simply put, you can just run a command
> > and have it install.
>
> Agreed. If the non-GUI mode of the Bitrock installers is broken, please
> report it and let's fix it. If it can't be fixed, maybe we need to use
> another installer, but it is not clear what is broken. Are you saying
> it is better for non-GUI installs because they don't need to supply a
> flag for non-GUI mode? Shouldn't we just document the flag better?
>

Sorry I'm not being clear here (I've switched timezones just yesterday ).
I'm not saying that it's broken, just that, from a 'barriers' perspective,
many customers end up building their own server-only RPM. They need
something that is consistent across the many disparate linux distro's (and
even just versions of the same distro) that they are running.

Some people do it to distribute through their own repository, some just
don't want to stay beholden to the linux distro's themselves. Others just
need a consistent directory structure across distributions so that their
teams have one less thing to worry about. The community yum repository and
binaries are a great thing, and in shops where linux the distributions are
consistent and version-ing is well managed, I would recommend them every
time. The generic RPM option let's us fill a gap between the two; when it
comes to Small-Mid enterprise, it's very hard to stay consistent across all
distributions all the time while still making budget and timelines. The
generic RPM/DEB allows for that middle-ground and lowers barriers in
mid-sized enterprises that haven't completely gotten their head around all
the different aspects of internal distribution.

>
> The smaller download does make sense --- it is a leaner install.
>
> I wonder if the OpenSCG text should more clearly state is doesn't
> include any GUI componients.
>

Patch attached.

> --
> Bruce Momjian <bruce(at)momjian(dot)us> http://momjian.us
> EnterpriseDB http://enterprisedb.com
>
> + It's impossible for everything to be true. +
>