[Sheflug] Some basic info please...

[Ruth Gunstone <xxxxx [at] xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>]

Hi all,

sorry I missed the last meeting - busy, busy, busy!

I've just downloaded the 3 Mandrake 8.1 iso images (thank goodness for a
fast, Shef. Uni. account!) and burned some CDs. Before I do a complete
reinstall of my system, I wonder if someone could explain some fairly
fundamental stuff for me?

When I install this version, I will be given the opportunity to partition and
format the HDD. This I intend to do. When setting up a Windoze system, I
usually create a separate partition for the user's data to live on (safely
isolated from Windoze!). I can partition the drive during the Linux install,
but then it expects me to allocate this partition to a directory (e.g. usr).
When I performed the previous install, thinking that 'usr' meant "User's
area", I stupidly made the new partition 'usr'. I now know that 'usr'
contains all sorts of stuff that a user shouldn't even touch!

This time, I intend to make this new partition dedicated to the /home
drectory, which will contain /ruthie etc., etc. Seem sensible?

So, on a 10GB drive, how much would you recommend I reserve for /home?

Secondly, when I last installed StarOffice, it seemed to want to install
itself in /home/ruthie/staroffice or somesuch. This seems silly to me. Surely
it should not be installed in a user's home directory?!?! Where would others
install it?

Thirdly. When I have the system up and running again, with a shiny new /home
directory, what happens in the (hopefully rare) event of a system crash and
requiring a re-install? Is it possible to reinstall everything keeping the
"/home" partition intact - and will a fresh install recognise its presence
and let me see/use it?

Thanks in advance for any advice..

TTFN!

-- 
Ruth Gunstone          (ruth at bolsterstone dot demon dot co dot uk)

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