Ubiquity installer not usable on machines with <= 256 MB of RAM

[Peter Garrett]

On Mon, 8 May 2006 16:07:30 -0700
Matt Zimmerman <mdz at ubuntu.com> wrote:

> > 256 MB and less is rather typical configuration of computer in Poland
> > and possibly other countries. If the system does not install on such
> > machines, user base will be cut down.
> 
> Users with too little memory to use the live CD may still use the text-mode
> installer by downloading it.

If I might venture an opinion ( I'm not a developer but I read the list
with interest) - if Krzysztof Lichota is right about this, then I think
saying "users with too little memory... may still use the text mode
installer" rather misses the point.

The people who most need the shipit CDs are precisely the kinds of people
who are unlikely to have sufficient bandwidth to download an alternative.
I would suggest that there is also a likely correlation between
low-powered machines, low RAM and poor access to bandwidth.

Is it not a  part of the Shipit idea to help easy access to Ubuntu for
people in places that have technological disadvantages? If so, the problem
is real and needs serious consideration.

I think the live CD/ Ubiquity idea is fine, and will work well for many
people. Perhaps until a solution is found for this difficulty, it might be
possible to give shipit users a choice of "live" or "install" CD ? Or is
this an administrative nightmare?

Peter


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