Comment 8 for bug 18195

I'd like to take this a bit furthuer. I'm on a LAN (3 actualy, 2 with dnsmasq and one with a full ICS failover system) where we have integrated DHCP+DNS in such a way that that the dhcp server can give the client a certain IP address based on what name the client says it has. this is nice so that the IP becomes independant of wired and wiress access as well as when the pc card NIC is switched out for whatever reason. It also has the benifit that new PC's get their name configured in DNS without first requiring a MAC address profile to be programmed in the server.

netcfg can do this, but it's not the default (and it is the default on windows 2k and XP FWIW). I guess "enterprise" networks bother with setting up dhcp mac address based profiles, but on a 10, or even 50, user LAN with no on-site admin it's just not worth it. I think "DHCP with Hostname" should be the default. However, both what i want, and what the initial request wants can be solved without confusing any users.

Place a screen before the DCHP screen, maybe a slightly modified hostname screen, where it asks for the hostname with 4 buttons: continue, get hostname from DHCP, configure static IP, and skip networking. continue being the default. For most "users" (as in home/small bussiness end users) they are currently prompted for the hostname anyway so it's not any more screens. The exception is for those in large managed LAN's where the hostname is assigned from DHCP, and even then it's just "tab tab enter". And, IMO, if I was to worry about 3 extra keystrokes I'd probably not use the CD but an HDD imaging system anyway. I think this would make lots of people happy who are either tapping their foot waiting for the failure or franticaly going for the cancel button and wouldn't bother anyone but a very small number of network admins who most likely have the resources to work around it such as a custom distro build for the company.