torios team mailing list archive

[Nio Wiklund <nio.wiklund@xxxxxxxxx>]

Hi

See the text and at the end ...

2014-05-27 21:20, Israel skrev:
> On 05/27/2014 01:40 PM, Nio Wiklund wrote:
>> Hi Israel,
>> See text inline and at the end ...
>> Best regards/Nio
>>
>> 2014-05-27 18:29, Israel skrev:
>>
>>> I wonder if we should use a simple browser for some of those common
>>> things, rather than including a lot of other things.
>>> Of course imagemagick is light and fast.  It has the ability to take
>>> screen shots, and display images, etc..  So it might be good to include
>>> for that....
>>> though we'd need a script to use the screen shots capability in a sane
>>> way for users, to assign a filename, and increment it if they take
>>> multiple shots.
>>> something like Screenshot-$date.jpg  where $date it the time/date stamp.
>> It is definitely worth considering
> If I have time I might write a script to test out...  *IF*  so many
> things going on in both real life and GNU/Linux life
>>>
>>> What are you using for the graphics?  Is it ncurses or something else?
>>> I am asking to know if it can it be themed differently?
>>> It would be nice to make a really solid user experience where Tori OS
>>> can have a specific 'branding'
>>> from the first moment of installation to the first boot into the OS.
>>>
>>> And also... which Virtual Machine program works the best for this, can I
>>> just use Virtual Box, or do you suggest VMWare, or something else.
>>> I don't have a PAE machine to use right now... though, and my old PPC
>>> wont work with this.  Of course I get 'broken' computers from people
>>> when they get a new one.
>>> And I fix them (usually only requires installing a version of Ubuntu,
>>> which I choose based on Hardware and user expectations)
>>> and give them to someone who has a REALLY broken computer, and cannot
>>> afford to buy a new computer right away (or at all).
>>>
>> The 9w installer itself can run in text mode or graphics mode. The
>> default graphical desktop environment is LXDE (as it is in Debian). I
>> have only changed the background picture.
>>
>> The menu system is using the 'dialog' package, a script-interpreter
>> which provides a set of curses widgets. It works in text mode as well as
>> reasonably well in terminal windows (where for example mouse clicks
>> work; dialog works with X/Open curses). It is similar to whiptail (which
>> I think is used in the alternate installer). I like dialog, so use it.
>>
>> -o-
>>
>> I think it is easier to perform the branding in a fully graphical
>> desktop environment. It is possible to translate the dialog scripts to
>> work with zenity. They are similar but not the same. (I have used
>> kdialog some years ago, but never zenity.)
>>
>> Of course it is possible (and probably more flexible) to use python, but
>> I have no experience of using it. I started with a tutorial, but there
>> was no time for it.
>>
>> -o-
>>
>> I think most virtual machines work with 9w. I have tested it in
>> VirtualBox and KVM + virt-manager. I made screenshots recently in
>> VirtualBox, where you can set the properties of the virtual cpu and to
>> limit the RAM to low values. Use VirtualBox that you know already!
>>
>> One good feature with KVM + virt-manager is that guest machines can boot
>> from USB and from image files (dd dumps of block devices) in the host
>> computer.
>>
>> -o-
>>
>> 'I don't have a PAE machine to use right now...'
> OOPS... :)
> 
>> You can't be serious :-D
>>
>> Yes, I know what you mean. I hope you find a non-pae computer that is
>> 'broken' but not really broken :-)
> 
> I do think there is one lying around somewhere at my in laws house.  The
> last time I saw it I tried booting Lubuntu on it to no avail, as the
> memory was unreasonably small for Lubuntu.  Puppy worked fine with it,
> though.
>> I have an IBM Thinkpad T42 with Pentium M. It lacks a PAE flag, but has
>> PAE capability. Lubuntu 14.04 LTS works well with Phill's non-pae kernel
>> as well as with the generic PAE kernel and the boot option forcepae.
>>

*More about OBI-9w*

The menu system of the OBI-9w installer in improved. There is a submenu
with several new install options, even to install a generic PAE kernel
for those who want to use the system in a computer with PAE capability
and lots of RAM.

-o-

The wiki pages are improved too. Thank you Jack for your great help! I
have also had other feedback plus some own ideas, so it would be a good
idea to have a new look at them (and particularly the new sub-page)

https://help.ubuntu.com/community/9w

https://help.ubuntu.com/community/9w/RAM_%26_disk_usage

https://help.ubuntu.com/community/9w/Manual

https://help.ubuntu.com/community/9w/ScreenShots

https://help.ubuntu.com/community/9w/OtherImages

I think that

- the data on the '/RAM_&_disk_usage' subpage plus

- the idea to make it convenient to install software after the basic
system is installed

can add to the discussion about RAM and disk needed for ToriOS.

-o-

I have run OBI-9w in three computers plus VirtualBox (with and without
the PAE flag, see the screenhots), and before that 9w 'proper' in three
other computers too. It works for me, but it is always good to test in
more computers and by other people in order to find and squash bugs.

Best regards/Nio