I never install regular Ubuntu, so this wouldn't directly affect me. I do, however, use Xubuntu and other variations at times. I'm wondering if Ubuntu dropping the alternate install disks will cause some of the Ubuntu variants to also drop them. I hope not because installing from the alternate CD is quicker and gives me greater control. That's part of the appeal of Linux in the first place. Sometimes I think that Ubuntu wants to be 'the non-Linux Linux.'
Yup that was my use for the alternate too. I'm not doing bulk installs these days, but a P4 would install in under 5 minutes flat over 100mbps ethernet, including copying some post-install updates (well, not just "a" P4, as many as would fit on the switch.) I think the OEM installer also uses this method.
Heh.Remember, "Ubuntu" is African for "I can't configure Debian."
Overall.... meh. I do object to the "the replacement is 2/3rds done, so we'll go ahead and replace that" method to distro development. That said, this isn't an LTS release, it's pretty normal for the occasional non-LTS release to be a bit of a wreck and this is almost a minor issue compared to some of that stuff. 8-)
I don't know if it'll be sorted by the time 12.10 is released (since October is like a month and a day away) but I would venture that the LVM and RAID stuff are just temporary issues; the lack of preseed maybe not so much.