Option to install /home separatelly on Calamares

I’m quite happy with Calamares overall experience for the installation. Particularly, I like that the “Erase disk” entry comes with options for the swap partition (no swap, swap with hibernation, etc…).

It would be even better if it had a similar option to put /home on a separate partition. In both cases (swap and home), a text entry could receive the desired size as well.

This would make the partitioning step much faster for many (most?) users, I guess. Since home users will all typically partition their drive more or less the same way with EFI/boot, root, home, swap.

I know I should post this on a Calamares forum. But Manjaro is also involved in the development of Calamares. So, I’ll post here and there as well. Thanks.

2 Likes

There is an option for manual partitioning.

3 Likes

Yes, I know and I use it every time.

I’m just saying it would be much easier to have it there as an automatic option since most users will do it like this anyway. So, instead of proposing an automatic partitioning composed of EFI + root + swap (optional), add an option to facilitate a separate home and maybe even make it the default option, asking the user:

  • which type of swap do you want? and how large?
  • separate home? how large?

We can all do it manually, but then you have to do it all manually: efi, root, home, swap.

Got it?

Oh no, doing the manual partitioning takes an extra 30 seconds. Where would you ever find the time to do that?

Then there is “Where should /home be created?”

And this is where the potential complication begins, I think, when considering automating these processes.

In the past, I’ve been known to use gdisk to create all partitions I desire, which then leaves Calamares used only format them, and add the necessary mountpoints.

Of course, that procedure is possibly a bit much for the average bear.

Generally, using the manual partitioning method can be valuable experience for many. I’m a firm believer that too much automation can ultimately be detrimental; after all, we’re users of Linux, not Windows.

Regards.

Disclaimer:-
These are personal opinions only.
Catch me after a coffee or two, and they may have changed to some degree.

2 Likes