Partitioning

[jglen490]

First, let me say that I have nothing against the parted related partition editors. What I don't understand is the lack of confidence in Kubuntu's partition editor. I've never had a problem with creating new partitions when installing Kubuntu. Is there some development recently that causes it to be unreliable?

[Qqmike]

Re: Partitioning

Good question.
Best I can offer is:
Empirical evidence (... if you read forum posts @ K/Ubuntu).

Conjecture:
Reliability decreases as a function of
> the number of disks;
> the existence of a mixture of IDEs and SATAs;
> and user expertise (esp, e.g., when there's an occurrence of an existing Windows OS that's to remain in place).

>>> Perhaps, related to the last item, user expertise, the use of the partitioning facility (in the installer) is not clear (i.e., poor user interface).

=> => => Strictly speaking, maybe it is not an issue of reliability but an issue of usability.


It's certainly easier and much more clear to direct a new user to GParted Live CD for his/her partitioning prior to using the installer than it is to step that user through the use of the installer's partitioner. In the past, there were some strong negative posts cautioning people NOT to use QtParted (search on that here and you'll find such); and QtParted has been (was?) included with installers.


Who knows for sure?


What I feel is “for sure” is the sure-fire success formula:

Step 1:
Partitioning—how to, Rog131
http://kubuntuforums.net/forums/inde...opic=3090704.0

Step 2:
Run GParted Live CD to do what that how-to indicates.

Step 3:
Run the installer, using results of Step 2.



It is true that you cannot necessarily trust the installer to identify and name your partitions for you as you specify, for example, where to have the installer place GRUB files. Just as you can't trust device.map. But that's another issue and not the question you are addressing here.

[jglen490]

Re: Partitioning

Thanks Qqmike. All my installations are very simple - because my hardware platform is simple!!

At one time I had two partitons on my 12GB drive - / and swap. When I re-installed 6.06 one time I went to a 3 partition setup with /, /home. and swap. It works for me, and with grub boot code on the MBR. Ever since then I just apply the KISS rule. It's all good!

I have noted on the forums that a lot of folks have a hard time with partitions in the regular installer. It isn't the prettiest process in the world, but I'm not sure just what would cause it to fail. Thanks again.

John

[Qqmike]

Re: Partitioning

" . . . in the regular installer. It isn't the prettiest process in the world, but I'm not sure just what would cause it to fail."

I'm not sure either, frankly.


It may be the communication, as you imply; how it's worded, set up (e.g., in Step 5 of the Live CD installer (with Step 4: Manual option)). Like you, I have also, just for fun, put the installer's partitioner to the test and used it with success to configure wild things (in my case with two SATA drives), all without problems, as an experiment. I must admit, it took some messing to understand exactly how the choices/options work in Step 5 (of the Live CD (with Step 4: Manual option)). I do prefer delineating the partitioning from the installation by using GParted Live CD prior to using the Live Kubuntu installer CD -- but that's just my opinion ...

--Mike

[jglen490]

Re: Partitioning

That's what's both golden and rocky about Linux and all the unix-related oSes; if there's one way to get something done, then there's a hundred !

[madberry]

Re: Partitioning

True it doesn't always work when you use the Kubuntu Partitioner. That's why I create the necessary partitions with the GParted live CD.

[mad]Berry

[dibl]

Re: Partitioning

It isn't the prettiest process in the world, but I'm not sure just what would cause it to fail.

I don't think it actually fails. I think the user interface requires way too much a priori knowledge and/or interpretation (many things Linux are that way). So, it executes the user's mistaken guess of what the on-screen choices mean, and pretty soon you've got a disappointed and confused user.

That's why I use and recommend a GParted Live CD for partitioning, just to get that whole process disengaged from the rest of the Linux installation process (which is tricky enough already, for newbies).

[jglen490]

Re: Partitioning

You guys are, of course, right. I guess after making partitions by hand with fdisk and setting and formatting filesystems on the command line, ANYTHING is more intuitive .

8.04 is pretty much a pleasure to use, and was a better install than 7.10.

Thanks for your input!!

John