Re: [9fans] OS install floppy hangs during boot on Bochs 1.4.1

[Steven Taschuk <staschuk@telusplanet.net>]

Quoth Russ Cox:
 [quoting me]
> > Would it be prohibitively time-consuming to calculate the hash on
> > the fly after the "make download diskette" button is invoked,
> > i.e., at the same time as the diskette image is created?  [...]
>
> it wouldn't be time-consuming for the computer, but it
> would be time-consuming for us.  that's not the way the
> download works.  it would require creating the floppy image,
> and we don't actually do that to generate the floppy
> image download link.  we just generate and save the plan9.ini,
> which is inserted as we send you the disk image.

Well, that makes sense.

For my next trick... I wonder whether the MD5 algorithm is such
that the hash for the concatenation of two blocks of bits can be
determined quickly from the hashes for the two blocks.  Then, you
see, you could have the hash(es) for the invariant part(s) of the
disk image lying around, and combine it (them) on the fly with the
hash for the user's individual plan9.ini.

Not that the problem is really that important, sadly.

--
Steven Taschuk           | "Renner was competent.  Renner was also a
staschuk@telusplanet.net |  smartass; but that was a good bargain."
                         |  (_The Mote in God's Eye_, Niven & Pournelle)