Date:        17 Jun 1999 17:34:09 -0700
    From:        cgd@netbsd.org (Chris G. Demetriou)
    Message-ID:  <87r9na9wji.fsf@redmail.redback.com>

  | Is there any reason that this is done, for any of these architectures,
  | any more?

I don't know that it needs to be done by default, I'm not even sure it
still works with other changes that have been made to the boot floppies,
but for me, that was one of the major advantages of the netbsd install
process.

I have this laptop, it has both a floppy, and a cdrom - but only one of them
can be connected at a time, and it requires a power down to switch from one
to the other (and is unable to boot from the CD).

With that, and being a laptop, no network necessarily anywhere nearby, the
ability to boot from the install floppy, copy enough stuff to the normal
disk (including a normal generic kernel from another floppy), and then shut
down, remove the floppy, install the cdrom, boot the baby installed system
that was installed from the floppy, and continue the install fetching the
rest of the distribution from CD, is real nice.

I would very much like to keep this ability around, though having it as
some kind of option would be fine.   Having to grunge about manually copying
the files (and attempting to remember to do everything that needs doing)
isn't an attractive alternative.

kre