Re: Removing fdisk and bsdlabel (legacy partition tools)

In message <CANCZdfq+F1iFpUkDEYdcxPJfp96Ymz8KjBGaK_JNN1i09s7P=A@mail.gmail.c
om>
, Warner Losh writes:
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> On Wed, Jan 24, 2024, 10:07=E2=80=AFPM Cy Schubert <Cy.Schubert@cschubert.c=
> om>
> wrote:
>
> > In message <202401242347.40ONlWKZ099356@gndrsh.dnsmgr.net>, "Rodney W.
> > Grimes"
> > writes:
> > > > I would agree personally, to moving to ports (eg ports/sysutils) with
> > > > a DEPRECATED in the DESCR or something, or better yet a Make
> > > > invokation event to say "superceded, here is how to proceed against
> > > > advice") or something.
> > >
> > > They are totally useless as ports when your booted from install
> > > media and working from a standalone shell.  These are the exact
> > > times you want things like fdisk and bsdlabel so you can figure
> > > out wtf is going on, and bsdinstall is NOT gona help you.
> >
> > This is certainly a good point.
> >
>
> What can they do that gpart can't do?

This was quite a while ago, booted off my recovery USB attempting to repair 
some self caused damage. The ability to edit (vi) a file with starting 
addresses and lengths, visually using bsdlabel, was suited to my panicked 
state as I worked to recover the machine.

A visual view of columns of a bsdlabel, editing a label using vi, checking 
and double checking numbers before committing them is handy.The visual 
format and the ability to adjust the numbers in an editor before committing 
them is handy. You can't do this with gpart, as it's transactional. And 
bsdinstall doesn't give one the opportunity to check the numbers in detail 
on a console before committing them.

Maybe a good GSoC project may be to replace bsdlabel's driect writes to 
disk with geom calls. Though, t doesn't need to be bsdlabel, but some kind 
of utility that displays the existing label in an editor session where 
changes can be made, using the editor, and committed. This could even be an 
enhancement to bsdinstall: call it expert mode or whatever.


-- 
Cheers,
Cy Schubert <Cy.Schubert@cschubert.com>
FreeBSD UNIX:  <cy@FreeBSD.org>   Web:  https://FreeBSD.org
NTP:           <cy@nwtime.org>    Web:  https://nwtime.org

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