Hey there,

Okay, I'm still researching for my Mandrake install, and i've got some questions. I have some partition questions after reading http://linux.oreillynet.com/pub/a/linux/2001/10/11/filesystem.html. I also have some questions about installing different programs.

1. Is it recommended to have separate partitions for different directories such as /, /var, /usr etc?
2. during the install, will I be asked where I would like to place each filesystem? If not, how do I place the directories onto different partitions?
3. when I go to install Mandrake, does it automatically install different types of desktops, browsers, etc? If so, can I uninstall them to keep my system simplier?

thanks again,
Doug

1. Usually its good to have separate partitions, but some opt to install using only three, a swap, / and /boot which is a minimum really. Its good to keep everything separate in case of system failure on one partition maybe and you can reformat just that one partition and rebuild it...
2. when creating the partitions and sizing them, it should ask for the mount point, which would be the dir's..
3. if your doing a custom, in which you would be if your setting up your own partitions, you can select your own packages.. not sure all the browsers it installs.. usually will always come with Netscape and Mozilla.. Lynx which is a non graphical text based which is good to get online when X isn't working.. so during install, you should be able to select which one's you want.

i don't quite see the need for all this research.. just ru the disk, and see what happens, most of your queries will become apparent when you get to a certain stage. And then you can always back out if you do get to a point you're unsure about.