Thanks, koan for the input.
Q & A Format: actually at first I was also trying to write it in a manual style. But i gave up because it is downright boring. I think of the official Debian manual and the Debian FAQ. The latter is much more readable and digestible to noob users.
"What happens when we're all using kernel 2.6.24 (in a few weeks/months) ? IMHO your design is going to be laborious to maintain.
That is exactly the point of posting in the wiki. Someone, including me, will keep updating the content when things work differently.
The main reason why the content look so huge is simply because of the heterogenuous ways to install and configure the system using different kernels and rootfs. Both the installation method and the after installation configuration differ from case to case; the "Qs" are intended to concentrate on each of these particular cases and at the same time prevent the user from being confused by methods used in other cases.
Different kernels have different hardware issues (such as sound, touchscreen, mouse button key bindings, wifi card modules, touchscreen pointer jumping, etc), and that's why they require different fixes.
The two different rootfs (OABI and EABI) also behave a bit differently with respect to a number of things, such as sound and video playback.
I guess you'll understand what I am talking about if you do have tried setting up more than one of these combos. The guide is not trying to complicate things. It looks complicated because the reality of getting Debian installed IS complicated. In my case, after trying the pocketworkstation way, the "titchy linux" way, the "Angstrom kernel + OABI system" way, and now the "yonggun kernel + EABI", all I say is that they are set up in quite different ways.
Being detailed and specific is a lesser evil here, I reckon; putting everything into one big text or simplifying the crucial steps will bring more frustrations than guidance.
If you ask me which combo is recommended, then personally I'd say using an EABI kernel (Angstrom or yonggun) and an EABI system. Then again, cortez is now building new Poky kernels for running EABI system, and I am sure the its installation and configuration method are different still.
I can't tell you why there are so many kernels floating around. It's just a fact. The more, the merrier, don't you think so?
The why is the guide still talking about the OABI system? I think it is still worth keeping because not every user feels comfortable with the unstable branch of EABI (armel, Sid). Running the conventional OABI is still perfectly fine, despite some glitches in hardware functionality (such as sound). Recently some people (such as cortez and tux) have been trying to build OABI kernels for the Zaurus. If that becomes real then we will have yet more varieties.
With this format I have no choice except to read through the first 10 or so questions.
This is certainly not the case, if you read a few lines down from the beginning:
"For fresh beginners, please read from Q1 onwards. For experienced users who just want to check out and review the installation procedures, simply jump directly to the relevant question. "
I suppose that is explicit enough.
Nowhere in the guide can I find a simple "why" I would want to install Debian. That question should be answered on the first page!
True. I will try to point out some goodies of running a full Debian on the Zaurus, but this is by no means saying "I've got the biggest richard in the world!" I for one will get put off by such aggressive and unsubstantiated boost.
Another point, this is way, way too detailed for someone who has a Debian desktop and thinks it would be cool to have Debian on their Zaurus but doesn't really care about which ABI it's using or what kernel. How about a walk through of the most basic working install ?
I can't agree here. The performance of OABI and EABI are quite obvious on the Zaurus. Remember the EABI thing is developed for small devices such as the Zaurus, not for desktop. So a Debian desktop user will certainly not care about EABI, but a Zaurus user who wants to experience speedy Debian will.
The most basic working install? There is no such a thing, I'm afraid. It all depends on your "stream": the combo of a kernel and an OABI/EABI system.
Or one can just run the pocketworkstation, which requires very little configurations as done in setting up a full Debian. But it is already outdated (3.0 Sarge).
My 0.02 cents.
