Boruch Baum <boruch_baum@???> writes:
> On 03/21/2016 06:19 PM, Rainer Weikusat wrote:
>> Boruch Baum <boruch_baum@???> writes:
>>> 1] For a day-to-day changing alpha release it makes plenty of sense to
>>> keep the initial download as small as possible, since so much is
>>> expected to change as part of the development process.
>>>
>>> 2] OTOH, a developer wants to encourage people to test the install and
>>> the release often, so it makes sense to have an initial iso download
>>> packed with the stable and large software packages that aren't central
>>> to the what the distribution is innovating. Any time a user runs a
>>> second test, she incurs a bandwidth burden of an entire new install.
>>
>> Your idea of "wisdom" is a bit out-of-sync lopsided: I've been doing
>> Debian installs based on 'netboot' images for a long time because that's
>> just a lot easier and more comfortable to do: There's an 'initial
>> download' of enough of the system to install more software and a user
>> can then add more packages as needed 'on the go', without having to
>> download a huge file containing mostly "stuff which won't be needed"
>> (and without someone having to server this huge file to me).
>>
>> There's also no need to download this "huge file" at all just to test
>> 'installation'. It's perfectly possible to exit the Debian installation
>> procedure after the base system has been set up and before any other
>> software has been installed.
>
> Of course you're right, for one half of what I was discussing. But you
> do want people to be testing not just the install, but also the release,
> don't you? That WILL require downloading an entire release

What I was trying to point out (in this respect) is that there is no
such thing as "an entire release", it's all just packages some people
might want to install while others won't. There's no magic connection
between 'the installer' and 'the set of packages making up desktop
environment XYZ', hence, redownloading and -running the former in order
to update the latter or vice-versa is not necessary.