On Feb 24, 2015 11:40 AM, "jd1008" <jd1008@gmail.com> wrote:
>
>
> On 02/23/2015 04:23 PM, Ian Pilcher wrote:
>>
>> On 02/23/2015 01:13 PM, jd1008 wrote:
>>>
>>> I think it does make sense, because users would like to custom
>>> partition the drive(s) and live with that partitioning scheme for
>>> many years. So, all such options should be made available.
>>> A responder to this thread mentioned that there should be an
>>> "expert" mode in Anaconda where the user accepts all the
>>> consequences of her/his choice(s).
>>
>>
>> What is the benefit of having anaconda worry about *creating* these
>> partitioning schemes (for lack of a better term)?
>
> Provide flexibilty for users who would want schemes other than anaconda's
> defaults and very limited partitioning options.
> Seems to me anacaonda is heading the way of a closed tool that assumes
> one hat fits all.
> And we used to think that commercially purchased
> software was limited and restrictive!Strange how the open source
> is heading into the same direction.
>
>>
>> Wouldn't it be better to ask people to use the regular tools in a live
>> media environment for anything other than a very basic scheme and save
>> anaconda dev time for ensuring that it is able to *use* as many pre-
>> existing schemes as possible as reliably as possible?
>>
> So, you want to tell people: first partition your drive with some other
> tools before you use anaconda to install Fedora, and then?
> Newbies might not even know that Anaconda might still decide to
> take it's own default and clobber whatever the user did as far as
> pre-partitioning. In fact the very first option displayed by anaconda
> is to use anaconda's default partitioning scheme. Even if anaconda
> will warn the user of what it will clobber, many newbies will not
> necessarily understand the consequences.
> Myself, I always know how to tell anaconda I will manually partition
> the drive, without resorting to external tools.
> But I cannot assume that ALL other people have the know-how to
> manually partition their drives.
>
>
> --
>

Usually newbies don't need to custom partition their drives.  Usually when newbies do pre-partition their drives, it is because they have some misconception that it was necessary, as in they thought "I want to also install Fedora on this computer, so I will create one partition to install Fedora on" - not knowing that one partition for an installation of any Linux distribution falls somewhere between "terrible idea" and "not supported ", and always has.  Maybe they're getting ideas like that from non-specific mailing list rants, or maybe it's just routine, forgivable ignorance.

For most all new user partitioning issues I've encountered, I've offered the same advice:  Stop doing that, make unallocated space, use the installer to do your partitioning, partition automatically if you are confused.  Following this advice has resulted in a functional Fedora installation and happy user *every time* - with *one* exception: users who had, in the past, for reasons of personal preference or ignorance, created four primary partitions on an MBR drive.   Since this thread has gone on a while, I'll close the loop:  the only situation where I have seen anaconda's partitioning fail a "newbie" user is the caused by the very feature that the original poster is requesting.

So, what, concretely, is your complaint?  Please share what circumstances you envision a new user encountering that would merit your antagonism, so that it can be addresses in either documentation or code.

--Pete